PACERS DEFEAT ROCKETS
Pascal Siakam fuels third-quarter charge to lead Pacers past Rockets
Feb 7, 2024, 9:51 am
Rockets fall to Pacers, 132-129. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images.
Pascal Siakam relied on his scoring punch, T.J. McConnell added the energy and the Indiana Pacers defense turned up the pressure in the second half Tuesday.
It was exactly what they needed.
Siakam finished with 29 points and teamed up with McConnell to score 17 during a third-quarter rally that propelled the Pacers past the Houston Rockets 132-129.
“The third quarter, we just kind of sat down, get down into the bodies and pressured more,” Siakam said. “That's how we've got to be, that's how we've got to play defense to continue to evolve, which I think is an area that can make us a special team.”
The defense has been Indiana's biggest weakness most of this season. But with the addition of Siakam through a mid-January trade with Toronto and the savviness of McConnell, things could be changing.
McConnell had 17 points and four assists as the Pacers allowed 54 second-half points just two days after holding their first opponent to less than 100.
The result: Indiana won its second straight overall and for the ninth time in the series.
But Houston sure made it tough.
Jalen Green had 30 points in the Rockets' second straight loss while Dillon Brooks added 23. Rookie Amen Thompson finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as Houston played without starting guard Fred VanVleet, who coach Ime Udoka said isn't likely to return until closer to the All-Star break.
And yet, Houston still seemed to be in control when it extended a 75-68 halftime lead to 85-75 early in the third. Then, over the final 9:53 of the quarter, everything changed.
“We defended well for two quarters, second and fourth,” Udoka said. “We didn't feel like we had to take any contested shots tonight, just continuing to penetrate and kick, make easy reads. We didn't really duplicate it as well in the second half.”
The difference showed. While Indiana's defense allowed just 14 points during that long third-quarter stretch, Siakam and McConnell fueled the comeback. Indiana used that closing 31-17 flurry to take a 106-99 lead.
Houston never fully recovered as Indiana quickly extended the margin to 14 early in the fourth and the Rockets couldn't get closer than seven until Alperen Sengun's tip-in made it 129-124 with 1:13 to go.
Green's 3 with 46 seconds to play cut the deficit to 130-127.
But two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton answered with a layup to seal the victory despite continuing to play on a minutes restriction as he continues to rehab from a left hamstring injury. He had 18 points, seven assists and one giant smile.
“There's a little bit of service after the game, but in the game, I feel good after a little while so that's a positive,” he said. “To be able to start games, finish games and play close to my traditional minutes, I'm just happy to be more healthy.”
UP NEXT
Rockets: Continue their four-game road trip Friday night at Toronto.
Pacers: Host Golden State on Thursday night.
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To say this season has not started off well for the Astros is an understatement, for they currently sit in last place in the American League West with a 9-19 record.
That being said, there are still 134 games left to be played and Houston has everything they need to turn things around and get back to their winning ways.
Players returning from the injured list
The Astros began this season with multiple pitchers on the injured list including Justin Verlander, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. just to name a few. As time went on, other players saw time on the IL including Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez, thus forcing Houston to continuously adjust their rotation on the fly to mixed results.
Ronel Blanco (3-0) has been the one bright spot for the Astros so far. After throwing a no-hitter against the Blue Jays, the 30-year-old all but solidified his spot in the rotation and has arguably become Houston's best pitcher this year.
Other than Blanco, the Astros' rotation has struggled throughout much of this season, with pitchers Hunter Brown, J.P. France, Spencer Arrighetti and Blair Henley combining to have a 0-10 record and a 9.49 ERA through 54 innings pitched.
Things seem to be turning around as both Verlander and Valdez have returned to the rotation and look as if they are back to normal. More reinforcements could be arriving soon, as Javier and Urquidy have started to throw bullpen sessions, thus indicating their returns could happen in the near future.
Once these pitchers get healthy, an ideal scenario would be to have a rotation consisting of Verlander, Valdez, Blanco, Javier and Urquidy, with Hunter Brown moving to the bullpen or becoming the sixth starter if needed.
The Astros have the luxury of having a deep rotation once these players return to the team, which is necessary to turn this season around.
Consistent offense
One of the biggest challenges Houston has faced this year is scoring runs on a consistent basis.
For example, the Astros drove in the same amount of runs in their two outings against the Rockies over the weekend (20) as they did in their previous nine games against the Braves, Nationals, and Cubs combined.
On paper this offense shouldn’t be an issue, for Houston has the third-highest team batting average in the league behind only the Braves and Dodgers. And players such as Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez are playing up to their All-Star caliber levels.
Sure some guys like Alex Bregman, Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers have gotten off to slow starts, but those three can turn things around fast just as they have done in years past.
One reason for Houston’s offensive struggles has been Jose Abreu hitting a minuscule .099/.156/.113 thus far and will likely see less time on the field unless his numbers increase dramatically.
The 37-year-old is still owed roughly $16.25MM this season and $19.5MM in 2025, so cutting him and eating his salary doesn’t seem likely for the Astros at this time. But the team will certainly look at all of their options to get better offensive production at first base.
Jon Singleton has preformed better than Abreu this season, but most likely isn’t the long term answer either, considering he is batting only .238/.319/.286.
One solution the Astros will experiment with is calling up one of their top prospects, Joey Loperfido.
The 24-year-old had an impressive slash line of .276/.376/.684 in AAA through his first 117 plate appearances, and hit 13 homers as well.
In addition to his offense, Loperfido is a versatile athlete who can can play all three outfield positions, as well as second and first base.
It is likely the Astros will let the former Duke Blue Devil play some first in this upcoming series against the Guardians and hopefully give the team the offensive spark they need.
Other short-term options the Astros could try is to let either Mauricio Dubon, Victor Caratini, or Yanier Diaz play some first base this season.
None of these players would be the everyday solution, but they have some experience at the position and the capability to play first base.
Needless to say, the Astros do have multiple players who can play first, and replace Abreu if he doesn’t start to turn things around soon
As long as Houston can get their starters back healthy and their offense can score runs consistently, there is reason to believe this team can get back to their winning ways and make yet another playoff run and beyond.