Indiana Pacers vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 12/26/2023 Preview and Pick
Game: Indiana Pacers vs Houston Rockets
Date: Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Toyota Center is the site where the Houston Rockets (13-12) will take on the Indiana Pacers (14-13) on Tuesday.
The Pacers faced off with the Grizzlies and ended up losing by a score of 116-103 in their last game. Indiana finished with a 42.2% FG percentage (38 out of 90) and converted 18 out of their 52 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Pacers converted 9 of their 11 attempts for a percentage of 81.8%. Regarding hauling in rebounds, they earned 39 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 28 dimes in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 18 turnovers and having 12 steals. In relation to defense, Indiana let their opponent shoot 51.2% from the field on 43 of 84 shooting. Memphis distributed 27 dimes and had 8 steals in the matchup. Furthermore, Memphis grabbed 41 rebounds (8 offensive, 33 defensive) and added 9 blocked shots. Memphis finished 66.7% from the charity stripe by converting 14 of 21 tries. They buried 16 out of their 35 attempts from beyond the perimeter. In the matter of fouls, the Pacers walked away with 21 and the Grizzlies finished the game with 14 fouls.
Obi Toppin is a player who was a major contributor for the contest. Toppin ended up shooting 57.1% from the floor and recorded 1 assist. He saw the court for 28 mins and collected 5 boards. He ended up finishing with 22 points on 8 of 14 shooting.
Indiana comes into this game with a record of 14-13 so far this season. They cough up possession 13.3 times per game and as a squad are committing 22.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Indiana is collecting 40.0 boards per game and has 830 assists for the year, which is 2nd in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. The Pacers are hitting 37.8% from downtown (389 of 1,029) and 79.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 127.1 points per outing (1st in the league) while hitting 50.5% from the floor.
On the defensive end, the Pacers are forcing their opponents into 14.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.8 fouls. They are giving up 39.8% from 3-point land and they are 29th in the NBA in PPG allowed (126.1). The Pacers defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 51.0% (1,252 of 2,457) and they surrender 42.8 boards per contest as a team. They rank 8th in the NBA in giving up assists with 691 conceded on the year.
For their last game, the Rockets took a loss by a final score of 134-127 when they faced the Hawks. When discussing attacking the glass, Houston allowed Atlanta to snag 44 in total (12 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 42.5% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 17 of 40 and finished the game at 23 of 28 at the charity stripe (82.1%). The Rockets permitted the Hawks to convert 47 out of 91 attempts from the floor which had them at 51.6% in this matchup. Overall, the Rockets finished the game shooting 44 out of 89 from the field which gave them a percentage of 49.4%. When discussing shooting from beyond the arc, Houston buried 16 of 34 tries (47.1%). They were able to knock down 23 of the free throws for a percentage of 100.0%. The Hawks committed 18 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Rockets to the charity stripe for a total of 23 attempts. They also turned the ball over 8 times, while getting 4 steals for the matchup. The Rockets were able to snag 29 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 37 in this game.
Jabari Smith Jr. ended up having an impact for the Rockets for this game. Smith Jr. accumulated 34 points in his 42 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 1 assist for the contest. He converted 8 out of 14 in this contest for a field goal rate of 57.1%, and had 13 rebounds.
Houston has a record of 13-12 for the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Rockets are connecting on 46.1% from the floor, which is 24th in the league. Houston has totaled 2,784 pts this season (111.4 per game) and they grab 45.2 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 25.6 times per game (20th in the league) and they turn it over 13.0 times per contest. The Rockets commit 22.3 personal fouls per game while shooting 78.3% from the charity stripe.
The Houston defense gives up 32.4% on shots from distance (286 of 883) and opponents are connecting on 74.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 23.4 assists and 43.8 rebounds every game, which is ranked 1st and 19th in basketball. The Rockets defensively are ranked 2nd in the NBA in PPG given up with 108.4. They are able to force 12.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.3% from the floor (3rd in basketball).
Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?
Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Houston
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