Game ID: 22500713
Houston Rockets @ Indiana Pacers
Monday, February 2, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
IND 28 28 31 27 114HOU 24 39 24 31 118
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 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Mathurin missed 10 since 1/04, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 2 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Toppin missed 42 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Peter missed 2 since 1/19, out tonight
BACK Isa. Jackson back 1/17 after 13, 11 min since (66% of 17)
IND availability going into 1/26 · 2 days' restOUT Mathurin missed 11 since 1/04, returns tonight: 25 min (78% of 32)
OUT Thompson missed 3 since 1/19, returns tonight: 1 min (7% of 20)
OUT Toppin missed 43 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Peter missed 3 since 1/19, out tonight
BACK Isa. Jackson back 1/17 after 13, 10 min since (59% of 17)
NEW Furphy 18 to 25 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Toppin missed 44 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Peter missed 4 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Bradley missed 2 since 1/23, out tonight
BACK Mathurin back 1/26 after 11, 25 min since (78% of 32)
BACK Thompson back 1/26 after 3, 1 min since (7% of 20)
BACK Isa. Jackson back 1/17 after 13, 10 min since (62% of 17)
IND availability going into 1/31 · 2 days' restOUT Toppin missed 45 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Peter missed 5 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Bradley missed 3 since 1/23, not on tonight's roster
BACK Mathurin back 1/26 after 11, 27 min since (84% of 32)
BACK Thompson back 1/26 after 3, 1 min since (7% of 20)
IND availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 2 since 1/28, out tonight
OUT Que. Jackson missed 2 since 1/28, out tonight
OUT Toppin missed 46 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Jones missed 2 since 1/28, out tonight
OUT Peter missed 6 since 1/19, out tonight
BACK Mathurin back 1/26 after 11, 28 min since (89% of 32)
IND availability going into 2/03 · back-to-backOUT Thompson missed 3 since 1/28, returns tonight: 19 min (95% of 20)
OUT Que. Jackson missed 3 since 1/28, returns tonight: 17 min (95% of 18)
OUT Toppin missed 47 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Jones missed 3 since 1/28, returns tonight: 36 min (215% of 17)
OUT Peter missed 7 since 1/19, returns tonight: 30 min (231% of 13)
BACK Mathurin back 1/26 after 11, 30 min since (94% of 32)
IND availability going into 2/06 · 2 days' restOUT Toppin missed 48 since 10/29, out tonight
BACK Mathurin back 1/26 after 11, 30 min since (94% of 32)
BACK Thompson back 1/26 after 3, 10 min since (51% of 20)
BACK Que. Jackson back 2/03 after 3, 17 min since (95% of 18)
BACK Jones back 2/03 after 3, 36 min since (215% of 17)
BACK Peter back 2/03 after 7, 30 min since (231% of 13)
IND availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restOUT Toppin missed 49 since 10/29, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 2/03 after 3, 19 min since (95% of 20)
BACK Que. Jackson back 2/03 after 3, 17 min since (95% of 18)
BACK Jones back 2/03 after 3, 24 min since (146% of 17)
BACK Peter back 2/03 after 7, 30 min since (231% of 13)
IND availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 2 since 2/06, out tonight
OUT Que. Jackson missed 2 since 2/06, returns tonight: 28 min (154% of 18)
OUT Toppin missed 50 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Peter missed 2 since 2/06, out tonight
BACK Jones back 2/03 after 3, 25 min since (147% of 17)
HOU availability going into 1/26 · 2 days' restOUT Holiday missed 5 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Eason back 1/20 after 5, 24 min since (91% of 26)
BACK Finney-Smith back 1/16 after 2, 15 min since (95% of 16)
NEW Okogie 17 to 25 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 6 since 1/16, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 14)
BACK Eason back 1/20 after 5, 25 min since (94% of 26)
NEW Okogie 17 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/29 · back-to-backBACK Eason back 1/20 after 5, 25 min since (94% of 26)
BACK Holiday back 1/28 after 6, 1 min since (6% of 14)
NEW Okogie 17 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restBACK Holiday back 1/28 after 6, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NEW Okogie 17 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restBACK Holiday back 1/28 after 6, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NEW Okogie 17 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restBACK Holiday back 1/28 after 6, 9 min since (64% of 14)
HOU availability going into 2/05 · back-to-backBACK Holiday back 1/28 after 6, 9 min since (69% of 14)
HOU availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's rest
full strength
HOU availability going into 2/10 · 2 days' restNEW Eason 26 to 32 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 120, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Siakam at 25 and Nembhard at 17 a game. Without Thompson (2 straight), Que. Jackson (2 straight), Toppin (46 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 101, shooting 43 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Sengun at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 101 a night to Indiana's 120 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-6 a night and Indiana plus-0. Call it Houston 114, Indiana 111, Indiana keeping it close.
1/23 @ OKC 117-114 — IND notes
IND won 117-114. IND shot 47% (45 of 96) to OKC's 49%, 16 of 38 from three, and got to the line 20 times to OKC's 30. The glass went 51-41 for them. Nembhard led with 27 (10 of 16, 4 of 7 from three); Walker added 26, Siakam 21. The hinge was Q1, 39-28: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Nembhard was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
1/26 @ ATL 116-132 — IND notes
IND lost 116-132. IND shot 46% (43 of 93) to ATL's 50%, 10 of 35 from three, and went to the line 25 times to ATL's 17 — 20 points from the stripe to their 16. Siakam led with 26 (8 of 21, 2 of 9 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Nesmith added 18, Mathurin 16. Q1 was theirs, 38-34, but the other 3 periods went 98-78 against them. They led by as many as 15.
1/28 vs CHI 113-110 — IND notes
IND won 113-110. IND shot 45% (38 of 85) to CHI's 48%, 15 of 36 from three, and went to the line 25 times to CHI's 18 — 22 points from the stripe to their 14. IND turned it over 6 times to CHI's 11. Siakam led with 20 (6 of 16, 1 of 5 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Nembhard added 18, Walker 16. The hinge was Q4, 37-25: IND came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 3. IND trailed 49-53 at the half and won the second half 64-57. Nesmith was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
1/31 vs ATL 129-124 — IND notes
IND won 129-124. IND shot 54% (48 of 89) to ATL's 47%, 15 of 32 from three, and got to the line 21 times to ATL's 28. IND turned it over 23 times to ATL's 10, and ATL turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 51-39 for them. Nembhard led with 26 (9 of 19, 5 of 9 from three); Siakam added 25, Nesmith 23. The hinge was Q2, 45-34: IND came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 7. Mathurin was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
2/02 vs HOU 114-118 — IND notes
IND lost 114-118. IND shot 49% (43 of 87) to HOU's 46%, 12 of 26 from three, and got to the line 21 times to HOU's 37. IND turned it over 10 times to HOU's 15. The glass went 33-56 against them. Siakam led with 27 (12 of 21, 2 of 3 from three); Mathurin added 25, Nesmith 17. Q3 was theirs, 31-24, the deficit cut from 7 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 94-83 against them.
2/03 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Siakam at 24 and Nesmith at 18 a game. Without Thompson (3 straight), Que. Jackson (3 straight), Toppin (47 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Utah comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 124, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 25 free throws a game; George at 21 and Markkanen at 21 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Kessler (45 straight), Harkless (36 straight), Tshiebwe (17 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the arc, Indiana at 41 percent from three to Utah's 32 and the glass, where Indiana has been minus-2 a night and Utah minus-7. Call it Indiana 120, Utah 116, Utah keeping it close.
2/06 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 15 free throws a game; Rollins at 23 and Kuzma at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Gia. Antetokounmpo (5 straight), Portis (2 straight), Prince (41 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 123, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Siakam at 24 and Nesmith at 18 a game. Without Toppin (48 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the line, where Indiana takes 24 free throws a game to Milwaukee's 15. Call it Milwaukee 118, Indiana 116, Indiana keeping it close.
2/08 @ 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 114 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Ingram at 28 and Barnes at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Poeltl (23 straight). 2 days' rest. Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Siakam at 23 and Nembhard at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Toppin (49 straight). One day's rest.
So: Toronto wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Toronto 117, Indiana 113, Indiana 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 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brunson at 24 and Anunoby at 21 a game. Without Anunoby (2 straight), McBride (7 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 120, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Nembhard at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Thompson (2 straight), Que. Jackson (2 straight), Toppin (50 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 107 a night to Indiana's 120 and the glass, where New York has been plus-1 a night and Indiana minus-7. Call it New York 119, Indiana 109, New York by 10.
1/26 vs MEM 108-99 — HOU notes
HOU won 108-99. HOU shot 45% (41 of 92) to MEM's 37%, 11 of 37 from three. Durant led with 33 (11 of 24, 4 of 9 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Sengun added 33, Eason 17. The hinge was Q4, 32-22: HOU came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 9. HOU trailed 51-54 at the half and won the second half 57-45. Sengun was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/28 vs SAS 99-111 — HOU notes
HOU lost 99-111. HOU took 17 more shots (99 to 82), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to SAS's 54%, 8 of 23 from three, and got to the line 18 times to SAS's 24. Thompson led with 25 (11 of 23); Durant added 24, Sengun 18. Q1 was theirs, 36-26, but the other 3 periods went 85-63 against them. They led by as many as 16. Sheppard's -16 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/29 @ ATL 104-86 — HOU notes
HOU won 104-86. HOU shot 42% (39 of 92) to ATL's 37%, 12 of 31 from three, and went to the line 20 times to ATL's 7 — 14 points from the stripe to their 6. The glass went 59-46 for them. Durant led with 31 (12 of 22, 3 of 8 from three); Smith Jr. added 14, Sheppard 13. The hinge was Q3, 35-24: a lead of 1 became 12, and the lead reached 22. Sheppard was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/31 vs DAL 111-107 — HOU notes
HOU won 111-107. HOU shot 42% (45 of 108) to DAL's 45%, 10 of 26 from three, and got to the line 15 times to DAL's 26. HOU turned it over 5 times to DAL's 11. Thompson led with 21 (7 of 15, 7 of 9 at the line); Smith Jr. added 19, Eason 17. The hinge was Q2, 28-23: a lead of 3 became 8. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
2/02 @ IND 118-114 — HOU notes
HOU won 118-114. HOU shot 46% (40 of 87) to IND's 49%, 7 of 22 from three, and went to the line 37 times to IND's 21 — 31 points from the stripe to their 16. HOU turned it over 15 times to IND's 10, and IND turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 56-33 for them. Sengun led with 39 (13 of 25, 13 of 18 at the line); Smith Jr. added 19, Thompson 16. The hinge was Q2, 39-28: HOU came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 7. Tate was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
2/04 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 103, shooting 43 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Sengun at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 97, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 14 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Pritchard at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 22 free throws a game to Boston's 14 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-9 a night and Boston plus-3. Call it Houston 109, Boston 108, Boston keeping it close.
2/05 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 106, shooting 42 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 21 and Sengun at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Charlotte comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 102, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Miller at 24 and Ball at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 14 a night. Without Hall (13 straight), Salaün (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Charlotte wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-14 a night and Houston plus-4 and the turnovers, Charlotte giving it away 15 times a game to Houston's 10. Call it Charlotte 111, Houston 110, Houston keeping it close.
2/07 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 107, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Holmgren at 16 a game. Without Jal. Williams (9 straight), Mitchell (7 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 106, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Durant at 22 and Sengun at 16 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-3 a night and OKC minus-3. Call it OKC 114, Houston 107.
2/10 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Durant at 20 and Sengun at 18 a game. 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; Leonard at 30 and Collins at 17 a game. Without Bogdanović (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Clippers giving it away 17 times a game to Houston's 12. Call it Houston 112, the Clippers 110, the Clippers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
INDAN A. Nembhard
AN A. Nesmith
BM B. Mathurin
BS B. Sheppard
IJ I. Jackson
JF J. Furphy
JH J. Huff
JW J. Walker
MP M. Potter
PS P. Siakam
TM T. McConnell
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CC C. Capela
DF D. Finney-Smith
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
RS R. Sheppard
TE T. Eason
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
Alperen Sengun scores 39 to help Rockets overcome Kevin Durant's absence and beat Pacers 118-114
INDIANAPOLIS -- — Alperen Sengun matched his season high with 39 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. added 19 to help the short-handed Houston Rockets overcome the absence of All-Star forward Kevin Durant to beat the Indiana Pacers 118-114 on Monday.
Durant sat out, coach Ime Udoka said, after spraining his left ankle when he stepped on a fan's foot. The Rockets already were missing center Steven Adams , who is expected to miss the rest of this season following surgery on his injured left ankle, so Sengun did the heavy lifting.
He made 13 of 25 from the field and 13 of 18 from the free-throw line including 8 of 12 during the fourth quarter and grabbed 16 rebounds. Houston won its third straight, got its fifth victory in six games and captured its third straight on the road.
All-Star forward Pascal Siakam finished with 27 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 25 to lead the Pacers, who charged back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to take the lead. But they didn't have quite enough to extend their winning streak to a season-best three straight.
Initially, the healthier Pacers took advantage of Houston's missing pieces.
They controlled most of the first half before allowing Houston to charge back with a 17-4 spurt late. And when replay review waved off what appeared to be Siakam's buzzer-beating 3-pointer, Indiana was staring at a 63-56 halftime deficit.
Houston continued pulling away early in the second half, using a 12-5 run to build a 75-63 lead. Indiana answered with nine straight points then retook the lead, 81-79, lead on a nifty pass from Jarace Walker to Siakam on a fast break with 2:27 left in the third quarter.
It remained essentially a one or two possession game until Sengun's free throws fueled Houston's late 12-2 run to make it 109-101 with 4:59 to go.
Up next Rockets: Head home to host Boston on Wednesday night.
Pacers: Welcome Utah to Indianapolis on Tuesday night.