3rd Quarter Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, the Rockets look much better today on their home court. They are fully in control with a 98-77 lead over the Pacers. This match looks nothing like the tight 132-129 margin from the Rockets’ win over the Pacers in their previous head-to-head back in February.
The Rockets came into the game with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Indiana Pacers @ Houston Rockets
Current Records: Indiana 6-8, Houston 10-5
How To Watch
- When: Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
- TV: FanDuel SN – Indiana
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $5.00
What to Know
The Rockets are 1-9 against the Pacers since November of 2019 but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Houston Rockets will host the Indiana Pacers at 8:00 p.m. ET at Toyota Center. The Rockets will be looking to keep their five-game home win streak alive.
The Rockets are probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering the Bucks just ended the team’s five-game winning streak on Monday. They lost 101-100 to Milwaukee on a last-minute driving layup From Damian Lillard. Houston was up 16-3 in the first but couldn’t hold on to the lead.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Fred VanVleet, who posted 26 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists.
Even though they lost, the Rockets smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds (they’re ranked first in offensive rebounds per game overall). They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as the Bucks only pulled down four.
Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored the Pacers last Monday, but the final result did not. They took a 130-119 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Raptors.
Like the Pacers, they lost despite seeing results from several players. Pascal Siakam led the charge by dropping a double-double on 25 points and ten rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Siakam a new career-high in offensive rebounds (six). Bennedict Mathurin was another key player, going 10 for 16 en route to 28 points plus five rebounds.
Houston’s loss dropped their record down to 10-5. As for Indiana, they have been struggling recently as they’ve lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-8 record this season.
Wednesday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: The Rockets have crashing the boards this season, having averaged 50.9 rebounds per game (they’re ranked first in rebounds per game overall). It’s a different story for the Pacers, though, as they’ve been averaging only 39.8. Given the Rockets’ sizable advantage in that area, the Pacers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Going forward, the Rockets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 6.5 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’re sitting on a five game streak of covering the spread when playing at home.
Odds
Houston is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Indiana, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 6.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 231.5 points.
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Series History
Indiana has won 9 out of their last 10 games against Houston.
- Feb 06, 2024 – Indiana 132 vs. Houston 129
- Dec 26, 2023 – Indiana 123 vs. Houston 117
- Mar 09, 2023 – Indiana 134 vs. Houston 125
- Nov 18, 2022 – Indiana 99 vs. Houston 91
- Mar 18, 2022 – Indiana 121 vs. Houston 118
- Dec 23, 2021 – Indiana 118 vs. Houston 106
- Apr 14, 2021 – Indiana 132 vs. Houston 124
- Jan 06, 2021 – Indiana 114 vs. Houston 107
- Aug 12, 2020 – Indiana 108 vs. Houston 104
- Nov 15, 2019 – Houston 111 vs. Indiana 102
