Houston Rockets vs Indiana Pacers Prediction, 12/23/2021 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Rockets vs Indiana Pacers

Date: Thursday, December 23, 2021

Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: Bally Sports Indiana

The Indiana Pacers (13-19) host the Houston Rockets (10-21) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday.

The Rockets stepped onto the hardwood against the Bulls and went home with a loss by a final score of 133-118 in their last contest. Houston walked away from the contest having earned a 56.4% FG percentage (44 of 78) and buried 12 of 33 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Rockets knocked down 18 of their 24 shots for a rate of 75.0%. In the matter of grabbing boards, they earned 35 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 27 assists for this game while forcing the other team into 5 turnovers and earning 4 steals. Regarding defense, Houston allowed the other team to go 53.4% from the floor on 47 of 88 shooting. Chicago distributed 34 assists and had 33 steals for this game. In addition, Chicago pulled down 25 boards (9 offensive, 16 defensive) and added 4 rejections. Chicago ended up going 95.8% when shooting free throws by burying 23 of their 24 shots. They converted 16 of their 35 shots from distance. Regarding fouls, the Rockets finished with 17 while the Bulls accounted for 8 fouls.

Christian Wood is someone who was a factor for the contest. Wood ended up shooting 57.1% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist. He was on the court for 29 minutes and also pulled down 11 boards. He finished with 23 points on 8 of 14 shooting.

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Houston comes into this one with a record of 10-21 for the year. They turn it over 17.5 times per game and as a group are committing 20.6 fouls per contest. As a team, Houston is pulling down 43.5 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 728 assists so far this season, which is 15th in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Rockets are connecting on 34.2% on shots from 3-point land (397 of 1,161) and 70.4% from the free throw line. They average 106.8 points per contest (19th in the league) while shooting 45.2% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Rockets have forced 14.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 22.5 fouls. They are conceding 34.1% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 28th in the league in points per game allowed (113.5). The Rockets defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.9% (1,271 of 2,769) and they concede 44.9 rebounds per game as a unit. They are ranked 16th in basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 728 surrendered for the year.

In their last game, the Pacers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 125-96 when they played the Heat. When discussing rebounding, Indiana permitted Miami to grab 38 in all (15 offensive). They wrapped up this game 44.9% from 3-point land by connecting on 22 of 49 and finished the contest at 9 of 11 at the free throw line (81.8%). The Pacers allowed the Heat to bury 47 of 95 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 49.5% in this matchup. Overall, the Pacers shot 31 for 87 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 35.6%. When discussing shots from downtown, Indiana buried 11 of 31 attempts (35.5%). They were able to knock down 23 of those for a clip of 82.1%. The Heat were called for 11 fouls for the contest which got the Pacers to the free throw line for 28 attempts. They gave up possession 11 times, while recording 6 steals in the game. The Pacers snagged 31 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 42 in the game.

Chris Duarte was important for the Pacers for the game. He made 5 of 7 in the matchup for a rate of 71.4%, and had 4 rebounds. Duarte tallied 17 points in his 19 mins on the hardwood and added 2 assists for the matchup.

Indiana has a record of 13-19 for the year. As an offensive team, the Pacers are connecting on 45.7% from the floor, which is 15th in the league. Indiana has accumulated 3,443 points so far this year (107.6 per game) and they pull in 45.1 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 23.7 times per contest (13th in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.1 times per contest. The Pacers are committing 19.8 fouls per game and they hit 78.8% from the free throw line.

The Pacers defensively are ranked 14th in basketball in points allowed per contest with 107.0. They are able to force 13.2 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 45.8% from the field (20th in the league). The Indiana defense gives up 35.3% on 3-pointers (347 of 982) and their opposition knocks down 79.0% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 22.0 dimes and 42.8 boards every game, which has them ranked 5th and 5th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston

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