Heat at Rockets
James Harden will be on the floor with retiring Dwyane Wade for the final time when the Houston Rockets host the Miami Heat on Thursday. Harden has scored 30 points in 33 of his last 34 appearances while Wade turned back the clock with a spectacular game-winning 3-pointer as time expired to defeat Golden State on Wednesday.
Wade had his first late attempt blocked by Jordan Bell but regained possession and flicked up a hurried shot that banked in off the glass to give the Heat a stunning 126-125 victory. "I just tried to get it up and the Good Lord put it in for me," Wade said in a postgame television interview. "I'm very thankful. I'm a little overwhelmed right now. It's been a while since a moment like that against a team like that." Harden scored 30 points in Wednesday's 118-113 victory over Charlotte, but it wasn't easy as he still is dealing with a neck injury that caused him to miss a game last week. "I'm trying to figure out how to run and move my neck at the same time," Harden told reporters. "Just getting a feel for the game, but I will be all right."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Miami), AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston)
ABOUT THE HEAT (27-33): Wade scored 25 points in Wednesday's victory, and the dramatic ending left coach Erik Spoelstra gawking. "The raw genuine emotion after that (basket) is my favorite of all the ones he hits," Spoelstra told reporters of Wade's raucous celebration. "The realization that it went in - just that raw joy, that's what it is all about." Goran Dragic contributed 27 points in 20 minutes in his third game since returning from knee surgery as Miami won for just the third time in 12 contests.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (36-25): Harden was just 10-of-29 shooting versus Charlotte - including 1-for-11 from 3-point range - as he reached 30 points for the first time since his impressive 32-game streak ended. Harden is just 17-for-50 from the field in two games since sitting out Saturday's contest against the Warriors, but coach Mike D'Antoni doesn't want to hear any chatter about the reigning MVP being in a brief funk. "He was just out of sync," D'Antoni told reporters. "It takes him about three or four games to get back into rhythm. He will be fine, and that is the least of my worries."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Heat posted a 101-99 home win over the Rockets on Dec. 20 despite Harden scoring 35 points.
2. Miami C Hassan Whiteside (hip) sat out against the Warriors and is unlikely to play on Thursday.
3. Houston PF Kenneth Faried (hip) departed Wednesday's contest and is questionable to play against Miami.