Heat seek bounce-back effort at Houston

The Miami Heat, fresh off their second loss of the season Sunday at Memphis, head to Houston to clash with the Rockets on Monday night.

The Heat got walloped by the Grizzlies, 104-86, Sunday night and the difference in the game came from behind the 3-point line. The Grizz shot 14- for-24 for 58.3 percent, while the Heat went 4-for-15 for 26.7 percent.

Wayne Ellington keyed Memphis' great shooting. He shot a staggering 7-for-11 from the 3-point line and scored a game-high 25 points off the bench.

"Wayne got hot and they were just too much for us from outside tonight," said Miami forward Shane Battier.

Sunday night's tilt against the Grizzlies was the second stop in a six-game road trip. The Heat, who had a four-game winning streak stopped, are the hunted, no doubt, after winning the NBA title last season.

"This is probably somewhat of an indication of what this road trip will be like," said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. "You have to fight for wins on the road. They never come easy."

LeBron James had 20 points on Sunday and matched Dwyane Wade's team record with double-digit scoring in 148 straight games. Wade needs to get on track some. After he missed Friday's game against the Hawks with a cold, Wade only managed eight points Sunday night.

The Rockets play host on Monday with a little bit of momentum. They clobbered the winless Detroit Pistons on Saturday in Houston, 96-82, for their first home win of the season.

That represented the Rockets' first game without head coach Kevin McHale, who took a leave of absence from the team to attend to a personal family matter. There is no timetable for McHale's return to the bench.

Kelvin Sampson took over for McHale and the Rockets surrendered the fewest points all season by 11 points.

"I thought our defense was really good both halves," said Sampson. "We never let down defensively. I kept tonight in perspective. I kept thinking of Kevin and his family and what he's going through. That's something far more important than me coaching a game for the first time in five years."

James Harden, now second in the NBA in scoring, led the way for Houston, but four Rockets scored in double-figures. The Rockets only shot 40 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from the 3-point line against the Pistons, but it was enough to get the Rockets to .500.

The Heat have won five in a row in this series and the last two in Houston.