On December 27, Beijing time, the Rockets faced the Pacers at home. Pregame shows that the Rockets currently sit in 8th place in the West with a 15-12 record, while the Pacers hold on to 8th place in the East with a 14-14 record. Despite the Rockets' recent two-game winning streak, Jalen Green has been pretty bad. Today, we will be able to see if he can make a difference in this game.
As far as the starting lineup goes, the Rockets fielded VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon, Jabari Smith and Shin Kyung. The Pacers, on the other hand, have Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Jalen Smith and Turner in the starting lineup.
At the beginning of the game, Shin Kyung quickly showed well and completed a one-arm dunk. Jalen Smith responded with a three-pointer, and Dillon had a 2+1 chance on offense. Nesmith hit a three-pointer, and Van Jordan and Nembhard were in a three-point battle. Jalen Green's jumper, Haliburton's pick-and-roll, and Jalen Green's three-pointer missed, while Turner continued to contribute points to the Pacers, even making a big hat on the defensive end. Haliburton and Matherine's three-pointers hit again as the Pacers gradually took the initiative.
After the timeout, Shin Jing scored with an easy hook on a single, Jabari made a foul, and Dillon contributed points to the Rockets with a throw. Amen's two-handed dunk allowed the Rockets to quickly tie the score. However, back-to-back layups by Turner and Marceline halted the Pacers' run of points. Ethan's jumper and Jeff Green's mid-range shot also made it 33-33 and the two sides tied the game.
Jalen Green didn't dare to play in the first quarter, shooting just 1-of-3. At the beginning of the second quarter, Tate made a layup, Toppin completed 2+1, and then Holiday and Toppin began to exchange three points, and Holiday made a layup and kept cutting points, and the Rockets successfully overtook them. Ethan hit a three-pointer, Mathurine hit a three-pointer and Holiday hit another three-pointer. Amen's attack on the frame created a 2+1 to give the Rockets a seven-point lead. The Pacers made frequent turnovers, and Tate and Shin continued to score, causing the margin to quickly widen to double digits. At this moment, Haliburton suddenly exploded and scored 10 points in a row. Fortunately, Shin Kyung responded with four consecutive points, and Dillon and Van Jordan also scored layups, narrowing the gap to seven points. Jalen Smith hooked up, Haliburton assisted Jackson for a slam dunk, and Shin Kyung was sentenced to walk. Jackson ate the cake, and the difference was only 3 points. Jalen Green was cut by Haliburton on a breakaway, and the Rockets led the Pacers 67-64 at halftime.
Halftime stats showed Shin Kyung contributing 14 points, six rebounds and three assists, Dillon scored nine points, and Jalen Green was just 1-of-4 for three points. VanVleet contributed nine points, two rebounds and three assists, Jabari had four points and three rebounds, Amen had seven points, four rebounds and two steals, Holiday had eight points and two rebounds and Eason had seven points and three rebounds. On the Pacers' side, Haliburton had an eye-catching performance with 15 points and seven assists, Jalen Smith had 10 points and five rebounds, Turner had eight points and three rebounds, Mathurine had eight points and three rebounds, and Nesmith had six points.
Yibian fought again, and the rocket attack suddenly lost power. Turner dunked, Haliburton scored back-to-back layups and jumpers, and Nesmith drew a foul. The Pacers overtook in an instant, and the Rockets could only rely on Van Jordan's jumper to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, Dillon's three-pointer was so bad that Udoka couldn't help but lash out at Jalen Green during the timeout. Haliburton's three-point shot, Shin Kyung scored five points in a row, and finally stopped the Rockets' decline. However, Haliburton responded with three points again, Jalen Green actually scored a layup, and Jackson also scored 2+1, but then it was Shen Jing's basket that hit a single shot. Udoka had to make a wave of substitutions, and Eason made one of two free throws, but the Rockets were never able to stop the Pacers' offense. Hield is on the outside, and the margin quickly reaches double digits. Eason made a jumper to stop the bleeding, and Holiday scored four straight points to put the Rockets up 90-101 at the end of the third quarter.
Dillon exited the game in the third quarter due to injury, and in the crucial final quarter of the game, will the Rockets be able to overtake the score?Van Jordan stepped up and scored five straight points to force the Pacers to call a halt. Jabari's jumper, Shin Kyung's rebound, and the combined efforts of Jackson and Turner stopped the Rockets' comeback for the Pacers. However, Ethan and Jabari took turns scoring, and the gap gradually narrowed to 1 point. Haliburton responded with a mid-range shot, but the Rockets showed a stubborn will to fight back. Shin Kyung scored frequently on the inside, and Jabari chased the score to 113-all after a jumper. Next, the two sides began a stalemate, and at the critical moment, Van Jordan's throw actually overtook the score. Turner hit both free throws, and Haliburton was even more godly, scoring a three-point rocket shot. Shin Kyung's dunk was blocked by Turner, Nembhard's throw hit, but Eason's layup missed. The Rockets' momentum was gone, and in the end, the Pacers turned the game 123-117.
Shin Kyung's performance for the Rockets was remarkable, and he contributed 30 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and four steals in the game, becoming the team's top scorer. On the offensive end, Shin Kyung stepped up many times to stop the bleeding for the Rockets and showed a good performance. However, his defensive prowess was noticeably lacking, especially when it came to rim protection. Also, it's important to note that Shin Kyung shouldn't always dribble too much when attacking.
Jalen Green's form continued to be sluggish, scoring just five points, one rebound and two assists on 2-of-7 shooting in this game, and was dropped again in the final quarter for the fourth time this season. Udoka's patience with Green seems to have reached its limit, possibly due to outside criticism, and Green's hesitation during the game showed that his mentality was in trouble. If Green continues in this form, he may be traded, so the Rockets need to consider replacing the building cornerstone, and Shin seems to be a more reliable option.
Jabari Smith contributed 10 points and six rebounds in the game, and he didn't feel good in the first three quarters, but he played well in the final quarter. However, Jabari still has relatively few shots, and the Rockets need him to be more proactive and pass the ball better on the team.
Ethan, for his part, had a great game, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist and two steals, showing all-around ability on both ends of the floor. Considering Jalen Green's lackluster performance, it seems that Eason should have a chance to replace him and become a member of the starting lineup. Amen contributed 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in the game, and also performed quite well.
Overall, Shen Jing, Jabari, Green, Ethan, Amen, among the five players, only Green's performance is relatively abnormal. VanVleet, on the other hand, contributed 18 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals in the game, especially in the final quarter. Dillon exited the game in the third quarter with an injury, with Holiday scoring 15 points and Tate contributing five.
However, the Rockets shot just 5-of-24 from the field throughout the game, compared to 19-of-43 for the Pacers. Inaccurate three-point shooting, poor defense, and mishandling of key shots were the main reasons for the Rockets' loss. Improvements need to be made in these areas to improve the team's overall performance.
Haliburton had a great game in the game, chipped in 33 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, especially in the third quarter, where he scored 13 points. Jalen Smith contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, while Turner chipped in 18 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Nembhard had 11 points and six assists, but also had six turnovers. Nesmith and Mathurine contributed 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and 10 points and four rebounds, respectively. Jackson and Hield also had 11 points each, with the former contributing eight rebounds and the latter having five rebounds and five assists.
After this victory, the Rockets are still firmly in the 8th position in the West, but only 0 ahead of the Lakers5 wins. The Lakers are expected to hit the top eight in the West, and the Pacers remain in the eighth place in the East, unchanged.