The Houston Rockets were embarrassed Sunday at Miami in a game they trailed by 41 points after not even 16 minutes. After the game, coach Mike D’Antoni called his team’s effort “soft.”

The Heat led by a 46-14 margin at the end of the first quarter, and that 32-point lead was the third-largest after one quarter in NBA history. Miami’s 46 points were the second-most allowed by the Rockets in any first quarter in franchise history.

The 129-100 final score was largely cosmetic. The Heat (5-1) were ahead 59-18 at the 8:06-minute mark of the second quarter, thoroughly dominating Houston on both ends of the court. It’s the second consecutive loss for the Rockets, who are now 3-3 this season.

James Harden led Houston with 29 points on a more efficient 6-of-14 shooting performance but many of his makes came long after the game had been decided. Russell Westbrook had by far his worst game as a Rocket, with 10 points (3-of-11 shooting), six assists with a team-worst plus/minus of -46 in 26 minutes.

Rookie guard Chris Clemons (16 points, 5-of-10 shooting, four 3-pointers) and veteran swingman Ben McLemore (14 points, 5-of-7 shooting, three 3-pointers) were among the only bright spots for the Rockets in 22 and 21 minutes, respectively.

The Rockets started Eric Gordon at small forward over Danuel House Jr. in hopes of lighting a spark in Gordon after his awful statistical start to the season. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to help. Gordon had just 4 points (2-of-10 shooting, 0-of-5 on three-pointers) in 23 minutes.

Led by 23 points from second-year forward Duncan Robinson, the Heat shot 70% from the field in the first quarter and 53% for the game. Houston entered the game as the NBA’s second-worst team in net defensive rating, and Sunday’s performance only made it worse.

The Rockets return to game action on Monday in Memphis as they conclude the first of 11 back-to-back sequences this season. Westbrook is expected to sit out as part of planned maintenance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVpWTxotFQY