Rockets 115, Heat 79: James Harden led the way with 28 points as Houston snapped out of a funk by pounding visiting Miami.

Dwight Howard added 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who outscored the Heat 71-33 in the middle two quarters to turn the game into a rout. Donatas Motiejunas scored 12 points and Patrick Beverley had 11 as Houston bounced back from a 26-point loss at New Orleans on Friday.

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 15 points apiece as the Heat dropped their fourth straight. Hassan Whiteside scored a career-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench for Miami.

The Heat held a 27-23 lead at the end of the first quarter but Howard scored 10 points in a 15-2 run beginning the second as the Rockets jumped on top. Miami cut it back to 44-42 before Harden drove for a layup to spark another burst that pushed Houston’s lead to 61-49 at the break.

Harden took over with 15 points in the third as the Rockets put their foot on the gas, getting 3-pointers from Jason Terry and Corey Brewer to close out the quarter and take a 94-60 lead into the fourth. The 34-point gap marked the largest lead of the season for Houston, which inserted the reserves and increased the advantage in the fourth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston’s 38 second-quarter points were its most in any quarter this season. … Rockets F Josh Smith moved back to a reserve role and scored 12 points after averaging 5.3 in four games as a starter. … Miami was outrebounded 15-4 in the second quarter and 47-33 in the game