The Pacers are 0-8 in their quest to get head coach Rick Carlisle\u2019s his 1,000th regular-season win as a head coach, coming up painfully short a few times but mostly getting blown out without mercy. The last two teams Indiana has faced have managed to reach 140 points on the scoreboard, so the Rockets will be looking to have a big night at home as they close out 2025.<\/p>\n
The Rockets won\u2019t play again until New Year\u2019s night, where they\u2019ll be in Brooklyn\u2019s Barclays Center for the first NBA game to be played in \u201826. Houston has won its last two games against the Lakers and Cavs by 40 combined points, while the Pacers have dropped six of their eight on this current skid by double-digits. Five of the losses have come by 17 or more.<\/p>\n
The Pacers did welcome Aaron Nesmith back in South Florida and got big games from Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard, so the hope is they\u2019ll at least be able to hang around and be more competitive than they\u2019ve been over the past few weeks. After starting 0-5, Indiana posted a win over Golden State on Nov. 1 before dropping eight in a row, so unless it is able to pull off an upset, it will eclipse its longest losing streak of the season in failing to improve the league\u2019s worst record.<\/p>\n
Indiana has won only once in 15 road games, while the Rockets own won of the NBA\u2019s top home records at 9-2.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vitals – How to Watch Pacers at Rockets<\/strong><\/p>\n Game date, time and location:<\/strong> Monday, Dec. 29, 8:10 p.m. EST, Toyota Center, Houston, Texas<\/p>\n TV:<\/strong> FanDuel Sports Network Indiana (Pacers), Space City Home Network (Rockets)<\/p>\n Radio: <\/strong>1070 The Fan (Pacers), Sportstalk 790 (Rockets)<\/p>\n Pacers hope being back near full strength will help spark resurgence<\/strong><\/p>\n The Indiana Pacers (6-26) visit the Houston Rockets (19-10) in the first of two meetings this season. With Nesmith back and T.J. McConnell cleared to play, Carlisle will have those key cogs available alongside Siakam, Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin.\u00a0<\/p>\n An immediate fix isn\u2019t likely, but the Pacers will get an opportunity to work against an elite defense as they try to get back on track following a rough stretch since posting a 116-105 win over Sacramento on Dec. 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n Houston and Indiana will wrap up their season series at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Feb. 2. The Pacers have crushed Houston since 2020, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings. Houston ended Indiana\u2019s nine-game win streak in the series in last season\u2019s only meeting at Toyota Center, but were defeated in the most recent matchup 115-102 as Tyrese Haliburton finished with 28 points and 15 assists. <\/p>\n Center Alperen Sengun led Houston in scoring in both of last season\u2019s games but has been ruled out. The Rockets had won nine of the final 12 meetings in the last decade. Indiana trails the all-time series 58-47 since entering the league from the ABA in 1976. Houston won seven of the first eight contests.<\/p>\n