NBA schedule: LeBron and Heat visit Houston, Suns host Clippers

LeBron James will face Dwight Howard for the first time since Howard went to Houston.

Mar 4, 2014, 4:30 PM UTC

Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

There are six games on Tuesday's NBA schedule, and three of them are rather promising. The primetime matchup features the Heat and the Rockets -- can LeBron James give us another breathtaking performance after his 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats?

Main course: Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat

8 p.m. ET, NBA TV

The talk coming into this game will be about LeBron’s 61 and Miami’s eight-game winning streak, but Houston has been pretty hot lately, winning 19 of its 25 games in 2014. In the Rockets’ last 13 games, they’re outscoring opponents by 9.1 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com, and that is the second-best mark in the league. They’ve beaten some good teams in that stretch, but they have struggled against contenders. While Houston has had its way with the San Antonio Spurs, it has a record of 0-6 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers. This will be the Rockets’ first meeting with Miami.

Here's your unbelievably sad stat of the day: this will be Greg Oden's second matchup with Dwight Howard in his career. The last time he shared the floor with Howard, Oden was just over a month into his 2008-2009 rookie season.

Appetizer: Indiana Pacers vs. Golden State Warriors

7 p.m. ET

This would be a huge, huge win for the Warriors, a team in need of a statement game. Sitting at sixth in the West, they're only half a game ahead of the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks and one-and-a-half games up on the ninth-place Memphis Grizzlies. Golden State demolished the New York Knicks last Friday, but everybody demolishes them. Aside from that, this is a team coming off a 20-point loss in Chicago and a tough six-point loss in Toronto.

The Pacers have won five straight, but they have only a two-game lead on the Heat at the top of the East.

Dessert: Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers

9 p.m. ET

If you don't have League Pass, you're probably pretty upset at the fact that Lakers/Pelicans is on NBA TV tonight and Suns/Clippers is not. Phoenix won easily the last time these teams met, building a 29-point lead through three quarters. That was before Chris Paul got hurt and Blake Griffin started playing like an MVP candidate, though.

That was also the night where Eric Bledsoe injured his knee, and he hasn't played in a game since. Fortunately for Suns fans, though, Bledsoe played 5-on-5 at practice over the weekend and shouldn't be out much longer. In his absence, Goran Dragic has averaged 22.6 points, 6.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds, shooting 53.4 percent from the field and 47.1 percent on threes. The matchup here with Paul might be the best part of the evening.