Friday, March 7, 9:30 PM on ESPN, CSNH, FSIN

Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

When the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers matched up on Dec. 20, the Pacers gave the Rockets a lump of coal in their stocking heading into the holidays. The Pacers thrashed the Rockets 114-81 on a night where Houston couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from the field or the charity stripe. It also didn't help the Rockets that James Harden only tallied 12 points on 3-14 shooting. Dwight Howard had a good game for the Rockets with 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks but it wasn't even close to enough to stop the Pacers on this night.

Paul George led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists, 3 steals and a block. Lance Stephenson chipped in with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, while the Pacers D just shut down the Rockets. In addition to great defense, the Pacers were hot from 3-point range. They hit a season high 12 3-pointers in this game and shot 46.2 percent from behind the arc. Another statistic to note is the Pacers had 29 assists to the Rockets 10. Combine this stout defense with a well rounded offensive performance and you've got a recipe for a blow out.

The Pacers have dominated against the spread over the last 10 matchups between them and the Rockets. Indiana is 8-2 ATS over their last 10 and have covered in four straight. However, the Pacers haven't been playing as well ATS over the last month and are closer to 25 percent rate over that period.

Houston has fared slightly better ATS over the last month and sits closer to the .500 mark against the spread.