Game ID: 22300719
Houston Rockets @ Indiana Pacers
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
IND 41 27 38 26 132HOU 39 36 24 30 129
HOU @ IND ScoutingHOU @ IND Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
IND availability going into 1/30 · 1 day's restOUT Haliburton missed 5 since 1/21, returns tonight: 22 min (68% of 33)
BACK Nembhard back 1/21 after 2, 30 min since (112% of 26)
BACK Jackson back 1/23 after 2, 10 min since (76% of 13)
IND availability going into 2/01 · 1 day's restOUT McConnell missed 2 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Haliburton back 1/30 after 5, 22 min since (68% of 33)
BACK Jackson back 1/23 after 2, 10 min since (76% of 13)
NEW Nesmith 29 to 35 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 2/02 · back-to-backOUT Mathurin missed 2 since 1/30, returns tonight: 37 min (142% of 26)
OUT McConnell missed 3 since 1/28, returns tonight: 23 min (123% of 19)
OUT Jackson missed 2 since 1/30, returns tonight: 27 min (214% of 13)
BACK Haliburton back 1/30 after 5, 22 min since (67% of 33)
NEW Nesmith 29 to 36 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restBACK Haliburton back 1/30 after 5, 22 min since (67% of 33)
BACK Mathurin back 2/02 after 2, 37 min since (142% of 26)
BACK McConnell back 2/02 after 3, 23 min since (123% of 19)
BACK Jackson back 2/02 after 2, 27 min since (214% of 13)
NEW Nesmith 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Smith 16 to 24 min over the last 4
IND availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restBACK Haliburton back 1/30 after 5, 21 min since (66% of 33)
BACK Mathurin back 2/02 after 2, 32 min since (122% of 26)
BACK McConnell back 2/02 after 3, 22 min since (119% of 19)
BACK Jackson back 2/02 after 2, 14 min since (114% of 13)
NEW Nesmith 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Smith 16 to 24 min over the last 4
IND availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restBACK Haliburton back 1/30 after 5, 23 min since (70% of 33)
BACK Mathurin back 2/02 after 2, 32 min since (122% of 26)
BACK McConnell back 2/02 after 3, 21 min since (114% of 19)
BACK Jackson back 2/02 after 2, 10 min since (82% of 13)
NEW Nesmith 29 to 34 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restBACK Mathurin back 2/02 after 2, 29 min since (112% of 26)
BACK McConnell back 2/02 after 3, 21 min since (115% of 19)
BACK Jackson back 2/02 after 2, 10 min since (82% of 13)
IND availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restBACK Mathurin back 2/02 after 2, 28 min since (106% of 26)
BACK McConnell back 2/02 after 3, 21 min since (111% of 19)
BACK Jackson back 2/02 after 2, 12 min since (93% of 13)
IND availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT Smith missed 2 since 2/10, out tonight
HOU availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 4 since 1/21, returns tonight: 36 min (113% of 32)
BACK Landale back 1/21 after 2, 11 min since (83% of 14)
NEW Je. Green 17 to 22 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restBACK Smith Jr. back 1/29 after 4, 36 min since (113% of 32)
BACK Landale back 1/21 after 2, 11 min since (83% of 14)
NEW Holiday 16 to 23 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Landale missed 2 since 1/29, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 1/29 after 4, 29 min since (91% of 32)
HOU availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restOUT Landale missed 3 since 1/29, returns tonight: 7 min (49% of 14)
BACK Smith Jr. back 1/29 after 4, 27 min since (86% of 32)
HOU availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restBACK Smith Jr. back 1/29 after 4, 25 min since (79% of 32)
BACK Landale back 2/04 after 3, 7 min since (49% of 14)
HOU availability going into 2/09 · 2 days' restBACK Smith Jr. back 1/29 after 4, 28 min since (88% of 32)
BACK Landale back 2/04 after 3, 7 min since (49% of 14)
HOU availability going into 2/10 · back-to-backOUT VanVleet missed 2 since 2/06, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 2 since 2/06, returns tonight: 13 min (94% of 14)
HOU availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT VanVleet missed 3 since 2/06, out tonight
BACK Landale back 2/04 after 3, 10 min since (71% of 14)
NEW Thompson 22 to 28 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT VanVleet missed 4 since 2/06, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 2 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Landale back 2/04 after 3, 10 min since (71% of 14)
NEW Thompson 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Holiday 16 to 23 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mathurin at 23 and Siakam at 21 a game. One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 21 and Sengun at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Indiana 117, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
1/30 @ BOS 124-129 — IND notes
IND lost 124-129. IND took 21 more shots (108 to 87), fed by 19 offensive rebounds, but shot 46% to BOS's 54%, 12 of 39 from three, and got to the line 15 times to BOS's 22. The glass went 50-40 for them. Nesmith led with 26 (11 of 17, 4 of 7 from three); Siakam added 23, Turner 17. Q3 was theirs, 37-25, the deficit cut from 15 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 104-87 against them. Smith's -17 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/01 @ NYK 105-109 — IND notes
IND lost 105-109. IND shot 45% (42 of 93) to NYK's 40%, 13 of 33 from three, and got to the line 13 times to NYK's 25. The glass went 44-60 against them. Smith led with 20 (9 of 11, 2 of 3 from three); Siakam added 18, Nesmith 17. Q1 was theirs, 36-26, but the other 3 periods went 83-69 against them. They led by as many as 15. Siakam's -10 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/02 vs SAC 122-133 — IND notes
IND lost 122-133. IND shot 54% (46 of 85) to SAC's 57%, 10 of 29 from three. IND turned it over 22 times to SAC's 16, and SAC turned those into 15 steals. Mathurin led with 31 (10 of 14, 9 of 10 at the line); Siakam added 22, Hield 17. Q1 was theirs, 39-38, but the other 3 periods went 95-83 against them. Jackson's -15 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/04 @ CHA 115-99 — IND notes
IND won 115-99. IND shot 49% (45 of 92) to CHA's 40%, 11 of 33 from three, and got to the line 18 times to CHA's 25. Siakam led with 25 (11 of 20, 1 of 4 from three); Nesmith added 22, Haliburton 17. The hinge was Q1, 26-13: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 24. Siakam was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
2/06 vs HOU 132-129 — IND notes
IND won 132-129. IND shot 63% (54 of 86) to HOU's 52%, 15 of 32 from three, and got to the line 14 times to HOU's 23. The glass went 25-48 against them. Siakam led with 29 (11 of 16, 4 of 6 from three); Turner added 21, Haliburton 18. The hinge was Q3, 38-24: IND came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 7. IND trailed 68-75 at the half and won the second half 64-54.
2/08 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 120, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Siakam at 23 and Nesmith at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Curry at 31 and Kuminga at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Paul (13 straight), Payton II (15 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Golden State has been plus-9 a night and Indiana minus-4 and the defense, Golden State allowing 110 a night to Indiana's 120. Call it Indiana 120, Golden State 119, Golden State keeping it close.
2/10 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brunson at 33 and DiVincenzo at 29 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Randle (6 straight), Anunoby (6 straight), Robinson (31 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 120, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Mathurin at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-8 a night and Indiana minus-10 and the turnovers, Indiana giving it away 14 times a game to New York's 9. Call it New York 119, Indiana 114.
2/12 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 118, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Bridges at 28 and Miller at 24 a game. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 121, shooting 55 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Turner at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Indiana 119, Charlotte 116, Charlotte keeping it close.
2/14 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 120, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Barrett at 18 and Barnes at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Freeman-Liberty (9 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 116, shooting 54 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 21 and Turner at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Smith (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Indiana at 39 percent from three to Toronto's 34. Call it Indiana 119, Toronto 115, Toronto keeping it close.
1/29 vs LAL 135-119 — HOU notes
HOU won 135-119. HOU shot 53% (52 of 98) to LAL's 49%, 12 of 36 from three. The glass went 56-35 for them. Ja. Green led with 34 (12 of 23, 4 of 10 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Sengun added 31, Whitmore 20. The hinge was Q1, 42-31: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 30. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
1/31 vs NOP 99-110 — HOU notes
HOU lost 99-110. HOU shot 40% (35 of 87) to NOP's 50%, 13 of 44 from three, and got to the line 17 times to NOP's 24. HOU turned it over 5 times to NOP's 16. The glass went 29-56 against them. Ja. Green led with 31 (11 of 20, 5 of 12 from three); Whitmore added 17, VanVleet 16. Q3 was theirs, 25-23, the deficit cut from 7 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 87-74 against them. Smith Jr.'s -19 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/02 vs TOR 135-106 — HOU notes
HOU won 135-106. HOU shot 59% (55 of 93) to TOR's 44%, 11 of 31 from three. The glass went 49-37 for them. Whitmore led with 25 (10 of 17, 3 of 7 from three); Sengun added 24, Thompson 19. The hinge was Q1, 37-23: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 31. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
2/04 @ MIN 90-111 — HOU notes
HOU lost 90-111. HOU shot 35% (31 of 88) to MIN's 44%, 10 of 30 from three. The glass went 41-58 against them. Sengun led with 15 (7 of 14); Whitmore added 14, VanVleet 11. Q2 was theirs, 21-17, the deficit cut from 8 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 94-69 against them. VanVleet's -27 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/06 @ IND 129-132 — HOU notes
HOU lost 129-132. HOU took 11 more shots (97 to 86), fed by 20 offensive rebounds, but shot 52% to IND's 63%, 12 of 25 from three, and went to the line 23 times to IND's 14 — 17 points from the stripe to their 9. The glass went 48-25 for them. Ja. Green led with 30 (12 of 21, 3 of 5 from three); Brooks added 23, Smith Jr. 20. Q2 was theirs, 36-27, turning a 2-point deficit into a 7-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 105-93 against them. They led by as many as 10. Whitmore's -14 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/09 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 126, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Barnes at 19 and Quickley at 17 a game. Without Freeman-Liberty (6 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 23 and Sengun at 20 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 116 a night to Toronto's 126 and the arc, Toronto at 41 percent from three to Houston's 35. Call it Houston 117, Toronto 116, Toronto keeping it close.
2/10 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 132 a night and allowing 130, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Young at 30 and Murray at 21 a game. Without Murray (2 straight), Capela (3 straight), Krejčí (24 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 18 and Whitmore at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without VanVleet (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 113 a night to Atlanta's 130 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 13 times a game to Atlanta's 10. Call it Atlanta 121, Houston 118, Houston keeping it close.
2/12 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 17 and Sengun at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without VanVleet (3 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brunson at 36 and DiVincenzo at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Randle (7 straight), Anunoby (7 straight), Robinson (32 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Houston giving it away 16 times a game to New York's 10 and the arc, Houston at 37 percent from three to New York's 31. Call it Houston 115, New York 112, New York keeping it close.
2/14 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 11 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 26 and Jackson at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Bane (16 straight), LaRavia (15 straight), Williams (8 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brooks at 17 and Ja. Green at 17 a game. Without VanVleet (4 straight), Whitmore (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-4 a night and Memphis minus-10 and the line, where Houston takes 24 free throws a game to Memphis's 11. Call it Houston 112, Memphis 110, Memphis keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
INDAN A. Nembhard
AN A. Nesmith
BH B. Hield
BS B. Sheppard
IJ I. Jackson
JS J. Smith
MT M. Turner
OT O. Toppin
PS P. Siakam
TH T. Haliburton
TM T. McConnell
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CW C. Whitmore
DB D. Brooks
JG J. Green
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
JG Je. Green
IND/HOU the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Pascal Siakam scores 29 and fuels third-quarter charge to lead Pacers past Rockets 132-129
INDIANAPOLIS -- — Pascal Siakam relied on his scoring punch, T.J. McConnell added the energy and the Indiana Pacers defense turned up the pressure in the second half Tuesday.
It was exactly what they needed.
Siakam finished with 29 points and teamed up with McConnell to score 17 during a third-quarter rally that propelled the Pacers past the Houston Rockets 132-129.
“The third quarter, we just kind of sat down, get down into the bodies and pressured more,” Siakam said. “That's how we've got to be, that's how we've got to play defense to continue to evolve, which I think is an area that can make us a special team.”
The defense has been Indiana's biggest weakness most of this season. But with the addition of Siakam through a mid-January trade with Toronto and the savviness of McConnell, things could be changing.
McConnell had 17 points and four assists as the Pacers allowed 54 second-half points just two days after holding their first opponent to less than 100.
The result: Indiana won its second straight overall and for the ninth time in the series.
But Houston sure made it tough.
Jalen Green had 30 points in the Rockets' second straight loss while Dillon Brooks added 23. Rookie Amen Thompson finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as Houston played without starting guard Fred VanVleet , who coach Ime Udoka said isn't likely to return until closer to the All-Star break.
And yet, Houston still seemed to be in control when it extended a 75-68 halftime lead to 85-75 early in the third. Then, over the final 9:53 of the quarter, everything changed.
“We defended well for two quarters, second and fourth,” Udoka said. “We didn't feel like we had to take any contested shots tonight, just continuing to penetrate and kick, make easy reads. We didn't really duplicate it as well in the second half.”
The difference showed. While Indiana's defense allowed just 14 points during that long third-quarter stretch, Siakam and McConnell fueled the comeback. Indiana used that closing 31-17 flurry to take a 106-99 lead.
Houston never fully recovered as Indiana quickly extended the margin to 14 early in the fourth and the Rockets couldn't get closer than seven until Alperen Sengun 's tip-in made it 129-124 with 1:13 to go.
Green's 3 with 46 seconds to play cut the deficit to 130-127.
But two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton answered with a layup to seal the victory despite continuing to play on a minutes restriction as he continues to rehab from a left hamstring injury. He had 18 points, seven assists and one giant smile.
“There's a little bit of service after the game, but in the game, I feel good after a little while so that's a positive,” he said. “To be able to start games, finish games and play close to my traditional minutes, I'm just happy to be more healthy.”
UP NEXT
Rockets: Continue their four-game road trip Friday night at Toronto.