The Houston Rockets visit Bankers Life Fieldhouse to take on the Indiana Pacers. The game starts at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 27 and will air on RSW and FxI.
The Pacers were beaten by the Nets 120-110 on Saturday. Ian Mahinmi was one of the best players for the Pacers, contributing 18 points, five rebounds, and two steals. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 112-109 win over the Raptors on Friday. They were led by James Harden who recorded his third triple-double of the season. He rose to the occasion with 32 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Rockets won the first game 107-103. Paul George was a top player in the game with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, seven steals, two blocks, and three three-pointers.
The Pacers enter the game with records of 38-34 Straight Up (SU) and 36-36 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 38-34 SU and 36-36 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Pacers have stifled opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing a three-point field goal percentage of only .332. The Pacers are fourth in the league in steals with 9.1 per game. Something to watch out for is if Indiana can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 19.0 points off turnovers per game. Houston has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.6 fouls per game), so expect the Pacers to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
Across the court, Houston has a SU record of 36-37 and an ATS record of 31-41-1. Houston has records of 36-37 SU and 31-41-1 ATS against the East. Houston’s defense has allowed an average of 99.2 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 106.8. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Rockets are the best in the league with an average of 10.1 steals per game. A large part of Houston’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 18.7 points per game off turnovers, which ranks fourth in the league.
Houston won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 6-4. Additionally, the Rockets lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ind
Notes
“Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana’s last 7 games “.
“Indiana is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games at home”.
“Indiana is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana’s last 6 games at home”.
“Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Houston”.
“Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston”.
“Indiana is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Houston”.
“Indiana is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Houston”.
Indiana ranks 19th in points per game with 101.8, while Houston ranks 26th in points allowed with an average of 106.8 given up.
On average, Indiana puts up 102.0 points per home game (ranked 22nd). Houston ranks 27th in points allowed per road game with 109.1.
In its last game, Houston won by a margin of three points. Indiana is 8-8 in games decided by three points or less. Houston has a 5-5 record in close games.
Houston has a stellar 14-4 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Indiana is 13-17 when it scores under 100.
The Houston Rockets have a 22-33 record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Indiana Pacers have a 25-17 record when they reach the century mark.
The Pacers have a defensive rating of 100.5, third-best in the NBA. The Rockets also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 105.5 (ranked eighth).
Indiana has an average field goal percentage of 44.6%. Houston is a losing 19-30 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
Indiana attempts an average of 22.0 three pointers per game, and Houston attempts 30.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Pacers have a 16-14 record while the Rockets have a 30-31 record.
Indiana has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.45 this season (ranked 25th), while Houston ranks lower at 26th with an A/TO of 1.42.
The Indiana Pacers rebound 43.9 times per game and are ranked 14th. Ranked 21st, the Houston Rockets rebound 42.9 times per game.
The Houston Rockets rank sixth in offensive rebounding, while the Indiana Pacers rank 13th in defensive rebounding.
Houston has forced one of the highest average turnover rates this season with 15.8% (ranked second). In games where their turnover rate is 15.8% or higher, Indiana is an even 11-11.
