The Houston Rockets (19-19) defeated the Indiana Pacers (21-16) 107-103 in an overtime thriller on Sunday.
This was anticipated to be a high-scoring game and while it was, it took overtime to get there. It was amazing how much three-point shooting there was in this game, as the two teams combined for 69 three-point attempts. The assist-to-turnover ratios were a huge difference in this game, as the Pacers recorded 33 assists and 18 turnovers, while the Rockets committed 22 turnovers to their 24 assists. It's rare to see a team win a game when your turnovers and assists are nearly identical, but that was the case here. The Rockets won the rebounding total 49 to 39 and that very well may have been the decisive factor.
The Pacers were outscored by 13 in the fourth quarter and just couldn’t hold off the Rockets in overtime for a devastating loss. Paul George wasn’t scoring like he usually does, but he did a great job of stuffing the stat sheet and playing great defense. George finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, seven steals and two blocks in the defeat. Monta Ellis also did a great job of playing distributor, as he dished out 13 assists while scoring 11 of his own in the loss. Indiana will look to bounce back against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in their next game.
The Rockets played some ugly basketball tonight, with the five starters combining for 19 turnovers. That's a recipe for disaster, especially when you're not shooting the three-ball well. In any case, they still pulled out a win in impressive comeback fashion and got back to .500. Dwight Howard had a renaissance line, as he totaled 21 points and 17 rebounds. James Harden was the go-to guy once again though, as he tallied 21 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the win. The bench scored just 23 points here, so the starters had a lot on their shoulders and capitalized with their opportunity. Houston will travel to Memphis on Tuesday in their next game to take on the Grizzlies.
