Heat stunned at buzzer, fall 123-122 in Houston despite 32 and 21 from Adebayo

Amen Thompson's putback at the buzzer sinks Miami in a back-and-forth affair

Mar. 22, 2026 at 2:36am

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The Miami Heat suffered their fourth straight loss, falling 123-122 to the Houston Rockets on a last-second putback by Amen Thompson. Despite 32 points and a career-high 21 rebounds from Bam Adebayo, the Heat were unable to hold on after leading by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant also passed Michael Jordan for fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list in the game.

Why it matters

The Heat's losing streak has put their playoff positioning in jeopardy, as they now risk falling out of the top six in the Eastern Conference standings. This loss to the Rockets, who are rebuilding, is a particularly tough one to swallow for a Miami team with championship aspirations.

The details

The Heat led by 12 early but trailed 32-29 after the first quarter and 64-63 at halftime. Adebayo and Tyler Herro helped the Heat build an 11-point lead in the fourth, but the Rockets responded with a 15-0 run to take the lead. The Heat fought back to go up 122-121 late, but Thompson's putback at the buzzer snatched the win for Houston.

  • The Heat led 96-87 at the end of the third quarter.
  • The Rockets went on a 15-0 run to take a 106-102 lead in the fourth quarter.
  • Simone Fontecchio hit a 3-pointer and Pelle Larsson scored to make it 119-118 Heat with 26.8 seconds left.
  • Amen Thompson scored the game-winning putback with 0.2 seconds remaining.

The players

Bam Adebayo

The Heat center had 32 points and a career-high 21 rebounds in the loss.

Amen Thompson

The Rockets rookie scored the game-winning putback at the buzzer to stun the Heat.

Kevin Durant

The Rockets forward scored 27 points, passing Michael Jordan for fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

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What they’re saying

“He's timeless. He really is. He's just been exceptionally consistent in what he does. I think he would be a great example for young players coming into the league to study how he prepares, works at his craft.”

— Erik Spoelstra, Heat Head Coach

What’s next

The Heat will look to end their losing streak when they host the San Antonio Spurs and top prospect Victor Wembanyama on Monday night.

The takeaway

This loss is a tough one for the Heat, who are now in danger of falling out of the top six in the Eastern Conference standings. The team's injury issues have forced them to get creative with their lineups, but they were unable to hold on against the Rockets. The Heat will need to regroup quickly with a tough matchup against the Spurs and Wembanyama coming up.