Pacers vs. Rockets: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season
March is right around the corner when the cliche phrase "live by the three, die by the three" is applied to college teams. On Monday, the Houston Rockets proved NBA teams can die by the three as well during a 117-108 loss to the Indiana Pacers at the Toyota Center.
Houston led the league with 40.3 three-point attempts per game coming into Monday's contest and surpassed its average with 45 tries against the Pacers. However, Indiana's defense stifled the perimeter game and held the Rockets to just 22.2 percent on those attempts (10 makes).
It would have been much worse for the Rockets had Lou Williams not drilled five of 10 threes on his way to a game-high 28 points.
Despite the poor shooting, the Rockets trimmed a 14-point deficit with just over four minutes remaining to just two thanks to free throws and a couple of Williams threes, but C.J. Miles drained a corner three to all but end it:
Miles scored the biggest three points of the night, but he wasn't one of the six Pacers to finish in double figures. Jeff Teague led the way and made all 12 of his free-throw attempts in the process:
| Jeff Teague | 25 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5-of-13 |
| Paul George | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5-of-16 |
| Myles Turner | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4-of-6 |
| Rodney Stuckey | 17 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6-of-15 |
| Monta Ellis | 12 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 6-of-8 |
| Rakeem Christmas | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4-of-5 |
Indiana moved to 31-29 and snapped a 1-7 skid thanks largely to a balanced attack that featured 48 bench points. It also out-rebounded Houston 55-39 and held James Harden to a mere 5-of-17 shooting from the field.
Harden still finished with 25 points (14 made free throws) and notched his routine double-double even though his team fell to 42-19, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:
The game looked over almost immediately when the Rockets steamrolled their way to a 20-4 start, making Indiana's victory all the more impressive. The bench rescued the visitors and scored 15 first-quarter points to pull within 31-20 heading to the second.
Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star commented on the turnaround:
The Pacers couldn't rely on their bench forever and fell behind by 17 again in the second, but they found success pounding the ball down low. Houston's small-ball lineups that frequently torch opponents from deep couldn't keep pace on the boards, which allowed Indiana to close the half with a 33-15 run and take a 59-58 lead into the locker rooms.
Jared Wade of the City Paper was ready to punish the Rockets in the standings:
Houston frequently tries to spread the floor before the defense is set, but the Pacers controlled the pace to maintain the lead for much of the third. Indiana lulled the Rockets into a number of contested threes, so Harden changed things up and attacked the paint, finding Clint Capela for a dunk and giving his team some much-needed energy:
Not even Harden's style and Paul George's fourth foul on Eric Gordon, leading to a four-point play, stopped the Pacers from finishing the quarter on an 11-2 run to take an 88-80 lead into the fourth.
Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle noticed a familiar pattern:
The formula continued working for Indiana in the fourth when Rodney Stuckey and Monta Ellis spearheaded the second team on the way to a double-digit lead.
The same Indiana bench that rescued the team from a blowout loss in the first quarter set the stage for George and Co. to finish the victory, but the Pacers superstar committed his fifth foul with more than five minutes remaining.
That didn't stop Indiana from pushing its lead back to 14 with George on the bench, but Houston made one final push behind Williams, who drilled multiple threes, one of which was an and-1. He missed the free throw, but it cut the Pacers lead to two for the final minute.
That's when Miles drilled the biggest shot of the game, quieting the crowd and, along with Harden's miss on the ensuing possession, giving the Pacers their final breathing room.
Postgame Reaction
Harden was asked if size were an issue for Houston, and he said, per Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com, "No. Heart."
Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni "strongly called out the Rockets for a lack of 'fight,'" per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Teague discussed the victory from Indiana's perspective, per Taylor: "This is the first game I felt like we really just stuck together. Nobody really got down."
What's Next?
The Rockets hit the road to face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in a head-to-head showdown with one of the teams they are battling for postseason positioning in the Western Conference.
It doesn't get easier for the Pacers with a road game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
