Pacers get back on track by holding on vs. Rockets

Field Level Media|published: Tue 26th December, 22:53 2023

Dec 26, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) handles the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first quarter at Toyota Center. credits: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Tyrese Haliburton paired 33 points with 10 assists to lead eight Indiana scorers in double figures as the visiting Pacers won a riveting back-and-forth affair with the Houston Rockets 123-117 on Wednesday.

After Fred VanVleet gave the Rockets a 117-115 lead with a floater with 1:50 to play, Myles Turner sank two free throws and Haliburton drilled his seventh 3-pointer of the night to push the Pacers back in front at 120-117 with 63 seconds left.

Indiana, which had lost six of its past seven games, held on from there, surviving a missed dunk from Alperen Sengun and another empty trip from Houston when Tari Eason missed a layup.

Turner scored 18 points and blocked two shots for the Pacers, who received 12 points and eight boards from Jalen Smith and 11 points apiece from Andrew Nembhard, Isaiah Jackson and Buddy Hield. Indiana shot a robust 52.4 percent from the field while converting 19 of 43 3-pointers.

The Rockets, despite receiving 30 points and 16 rebounds from Sengun, couldn't keep pace. VanVleet added 18 points and nine assists while Eason tallied 16 points and eight boards off the bench.

Haliburton nailed back-to-back pull-up threes that lifted the Pacers to a 78-69 lead in the third quarter, an advantage Indiana built to double digits when Hield drilled a trey at the 2:04 mark of the period. When Hield struck again from deep just before the end of the frame, the Pacers grabbed their largest lead of the night at 100-88.

The Rockets then mustered a rally and were within 108-107 with 6:46 remaining in the game.

The Pacers started 6-for-6 from beyond the arc, with the Rockets keeping close by crashing the offensive glass. Houston turned five offensive boards into eight second-chance points in the first quarter, and after the Pacers carved out an eight-point lead 6:44 into the frame, the Rockets closed the period with an 18-10 rally.

Houston turned to its reserves in the second, with Amen Thompson, Aaron Holiday, Jae'Sean Tate and Eason combining for 18 points as the Rockets surged to a 10-point lead. But that's when Haliburton took control, posting 10 points and three assists in the quarter.

By intermission, the Rockets led 67-64 despite the Pacers shooting 11 of 22 from deep.

—Field Level Media

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