Tuesday NBA: Rockets (27-23) at Heat (24-27)

The All-Star break can’t come soon enough for the Miami Heat, who have lost five games in a row to drop to eighth – barely – in the Eastern Conference, and now star Dwyane Wade seems to be dropping hints he might be leaving town as a free agent.

After losing in Chicago on Saturday, Wade said the Heat’s offense needs find a way to “mix it up, stop being a team that everybody knows exactly what we’re going to do. You have to be a person willing to do it. I’m not sure Coach wants us to do that. You have to have confidence guys are going to make the change on the go.”

That obviously sounds like a shot at young coach Erik Spoelstra. But Wade denied that Monday.

“I don’t have a problem with coach at all,” Wade said. “Me and him are on one page with each other. … It’s not about Spo. Of course when you’re losing someone is going to find a way to say, ‘Hell is starting in Miami.’ ”

The five-game skid is Miami’s longest since it lost seven in a row on the way to a 15-67 finish in 2007-08 (Wade has 23 turnovers in those five). The Heat actually have lost seven of eight. They again won’t have starting point guard Mario Chalmers tonight as he still hasn’t recovered from his thumb injury. There is no line currently posted on this game at WagerWeb.com.

Guard Kyle Lowry (ankle) and forward Trevor Ariza (hip pointer) are out for the Rockets. With Chalmers out, Houston point guard Aaron Brooks, who averages 19.5 points per game, should dominate Miami point guard fill-in G Rafer Alston, who is struggling offensively. Brooks has averaged 25.7 points, six rebounds and 4.7 assists this month. Brooks will play a ton of minutes with Lowry not there to back him up. Rookie Chase Budinger will start for Ariza, who is Houston’s second-best player behind Brooks.

The Heat won in Houston 115-106 on Jan. 15 and go for their first series sweep since the 2005-06 season. Wade had 37 in the first meeting, making 15 of 24 shots. Houston is 12-13 on the road but is coming off consecutive road victories at San Antonio and Memphis.

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