Rockets Aim to Bounce Back, Return Home to Host Pacers
Hometown Heroes. New Threads. First of Three.
After a heartbreaking loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, the Houston Rockets return home to host the Indiana Pacers. Houston is aiming for its sixth consecutive win at Toyota Center tonight. The Rockets have been excellent at protecting home court after a rough start. They’ll look to continue that trend on Monday night against a Pacers team that’s off to a slow start this season.
Indiana is 6-8 on the year so far, but they still boast plenty of talented players. Tyrese Haliburton is one of the premier guard in the NBA. Pascal Siakam is a versatile All-Star forward, and Bennedict Mathurin has been unleashed this season. Mathurin’s insertion into the starting lineup has the third year guard playing at the highest level of his career. Expect him to be a problem on the perimeter for Houston tonight.
The Rockets will be wearing their new “city edition” uniforms for the first time on Wednesday night. It’s been thirty years since the Houston Rockets last won a championship. These jerseys pay homage to the Championship team of 94/95 that won back-to-back titles.
Tonight’s game is the first of three straight at home for the Rockets, who will next play the Portland Trail Blazers in consecutive nights on Friday and Saturday at Toyota Center. All three games are winnable, but the Pacers are a better squad than Portland, with more experienced and talented players.
Houston should win this matchup as long as they continue to play disciplined basketball mixed with hard defense. The Rockets have struggled shooting the ball so far to start this season. It’s been their Achilles’ heal. However, they’ve been one of the best teams in terms of hustle and defense. Expect another healthy dose of the “Terror Twins.” Coming off the crushing loss in Milwaukee, Ime Udoka should have his guys ready to go tonight against a weaker Indiana Pacers ball club.
These are the kind of games Houston has to win if they want to really make noise in the Western Conference standings. Home matchups against bad Eastern Conference teams. With a record of 10-5, the Rockets currently sit in fourth place out West. Most of Houston’s games have been close to start the season. Expect that trend to continue tonight… along with the Rockets’ winning streak at home.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Indiana Pacers (6-8): Navy
Houston Rockets (10-5): “City Edition” White
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass