Jabari Smith Jr. had 21 points with 10 rebounds and Amen Thompson added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, who have won three in a row after dropping four of their previous five games during a tough road trip.

It’s the ninth consecutive loss for the Pacers, who have the NBA’s worst record at 6-27 with Tyrese Haliburton out all season with an Achilles injury.

The Rockets led by 27 to start the fourth and were up by 16 when coach Ime Udoka cleared the bench with 2 1/2 minutes to go.

Pascal Siakam had 23 points to lead the Pacers and Aaron Nesmith added 14 with four 3-pointers.

The Rockets led by 16 at halftime and used a 12-3 spurt after the break to push the lead to 78-51 with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter. Smith had two 3-pointers in that stretch and Durant added four points.

Houston remained up by 27 midway through the third before the Pacers went on a 14-2 run to get within 89-74 with about four minutes remaining in the quarter. Siakam scored six points in that time and Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard capped the run with 3s.

The Rockets rediscovered their offense after that, using a 16-4 run, with 3-pointers from Reed Sheppard and Dorian Finney-Smith, to take a 105-78 lead into the fourth quarter.

Houston’s Steven Adams had eight points and five rebounds in his second straight start for All-Star Alperen Sengun, who is out with calf tightness. Adams left in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle and didn’t return.

Up Next

Pacers: Host Orlando on Wednesday.

Rockets: Visit Brooklyn on Thursday night.

------

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Jay Huff vs. Steven Adams (Bennedict Mathurin gains possession)	0	0
11:41	Bennedict Mathurin misses 18-foot pullup jump shot	0	0
11:41	Jay Huff offensive rebound	0	0
11:36	Jay Huff makes 3-foot reverse dunk (Bennedict Mathurin assists)	0	2
11:21	Kevin Durant misses 16-foot fade away jump shot	0	2
11:21	Steven Adams offensive rebound	0	2
11:17	Steven Adams makes 2-foot driving dunk	2	2
11:10	Jabari Smith Jr. personal foul	2	2
10:58	Pascal Siakam misses 13-foot fade away jump shot	2	2
10:57	Kevin Durant defensive rebound	2	2
10:42	Kevin Durant misses 25-foot three point jumper	2	2
10:41	Steven Adams offensive rebound	2	2
10:40	Johnny Furphy shooting foul	2	2
10:40	Steven Adams makes free throw 1 of 2	3	2
10:40	Tony Bradley enters the game for Jay Huff	3	2
10:40	Steven Adams misses free throw 2 of 2	3	2
10:40	Tony Bradley defensive rebound	3	2
10:22	Andrew Nembhard misses 22-foot pullup jump shot	3	2
10:21	Amen Thompson defensive rebound	3	2
10:05	Andrew Nembhard shooting foul	3	2
10:05	Steven Adams makes free throw 1 of 2	4	2
10:05	Steven Adams misses free throw 2 of 2	4	2
10:05	Amen Thompson offensive rebound	4	2
10:00	Kevin Durant makes 12-foot pullup jump shot (Amen Thompson assists)	6	2
9:43	Tari Eason shooting foul	6	2
9:43	Andrew Nembhard misses free throw 1 of 2	6	2
9:43	Pacers offensive team rebound	6	2
9:43	Andrew Nembhard makes free throw 2 of 2	6	3
9:32	Amen Thompson makes 1-foot two point shot	8	3
9:19	Bennedict Mathurin misses 27-foot three point pullup jump shot	8	3
9:15	Kevin Durant defensive rebound	8	3
8:59	Kevin Durant misses 8-foot fade away jump shot	8	3
8:59	Bennedict Mathurin defensive rebound	8	3
8:40	Andrew Nembhard misses 27-foot three point pullup jump shot	8	3
8:39	Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound	8	3
8:17	Kevin Durant makes 13-foot fade away jump shot	10	3
8:06	Andrew Nembhard out of bounds lost ball turnover	10	3
7:57	Tony Bradley shooting foul	10	3
7:57	Amen Thompson makes free throw 1 of 2	11	3
7:57	Amen Thompson makes free throw 2 of 2	12	3
7:39	Bennedict Mathurin makes 9-foot driving floating jump shot	12	5
7:15	Kevin Durant makes 10-foot fade away jump shot	14	5
7:04	Andrew Nembhard misses 27-foot three point jumper	14	5
7:03	Amen Thompson defensive rebound	14	5
6:41	Jabari Smith Jr. misses two point shot	14	5
6:41	Steven Adams offensive rebound	14	5
6:41	Tony Bradley personal foul	14	5
6:41	Rockets Full timeout	14	5
6:41	Jarace Walker enters the game for Johnny Furphy	14	5
6:41	Jay Huff enters the game for Pascal Siakam	14	5
6:41	Aaron Nesmith enters the game for Tony Bradley	14	5
6:27	Jay Huff blocks Steven Adams 's 3-foot driving layup	14	5
6:27	Rockets offensive team rebound	14	5
6:27	shot clock turnover	14	5
6:12	Andrew Nembhard makes 5-foot two point shot	14	7
5:56	Amen Thompson out of bounds bad pass turnover	14	7
5:42	Jarace Walker makes 26-foot three point jumper (Jay Huff assists)	14	10
5:17	Amen Thompson misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot	14	10
5:16	Bennedict Mathurin defensive rebound	14	10
5:05	Jay Huff makes 27-foot three point jumper (Aaron Nesmith assists)	14	13
4:40	Amen Thompson makes 1-foot floating jump shot (Kevin Durant assists)	16	13
4:18	Jay Huff lost ball turnover (Tari Eason steals)	16	13
4:12	Tari Eason makes two point shot	18	13
4:12	Pacers Full timeout	18	13
4:12	Reed Sheppard enters the game for Jabari Smith Jr.	18	13
4:12	Dorian Finney-Smith enters the game for Steven Adams	18	13
4:12	Clint Capela enters the game for Tari Eason	18	13
4:12	T.J. McConnell enters the game for Bennedict Mathurin	18	13
4:12	Pascal Siakam enters the game for Andrew Nembhard	18	13
4:00	Aaron Nesmith makes 24-foot three point jumper (T.J. McConnell assists)	18	16
3:32	Dorian Finney-Smith lost ball turnover (T.J. McConnell steals)	18	16
3:26	Pascal Siakam makes 28-foot running jump shot (Aaron Nesmith assists)	18	19
3:14	Jay Huff shooting foul	18	19
3:14	Amen Thompson makes free throw 1 of 2	19	19
3:14	Amen Thompson makes free throw 2 of 2	20	19
3:04	T.J. McConnell misses two point shot	20	19
3:04	Clint Capela defensive rebound	20	19
2:53	Kevin Durant misses 25-foot three point pullup jump shot	20	19
2:52	Aaron Nesmith defensive rebound	20	19
2:44	Aaron Nesmith makes 27-foot three pointer (T.J. McConnell assists)	20	22
2:43	Rockets Full timeout	20	22
2:43	Josh Okogie enters the game for Amen Thompson	20	22
2:25	Kevin Durant makes 27-foot three point jumper (Reed Sheppard assists)	23	22
2:12	Pascal Siakam misses 8-foot two point shot	23	22
2:11	Josh Okogie defensive rebound	23	22
1:52	Josh Okogie makes 24-foot three point jumper (Reed Sheppard assists)	26	22
1:37	Jarace Walker makes 27-foot three point jumper (Pascal Siakam assists)	26	25
1:15	Kevin Durant makes 9-foot two point shot	28	25
1:07	Pascal Siakam misses two point shot	28	25
1:06	Dorian Finney-Smith defensive rebound	28	25
48.5	Jay Huff shooting foul	28	25
48.5	(00:48.5) [Pacers] REF-INITIATED REVIEW (REPLAY SUPPORTS CALL)	28	25
48.5	Amen Thompson enters the game for Reed Sheppard	28	25
48.5	Jabari Smith Jr. enters the game for Clint Capela	28	25
48.5	Bennedict Mathurin enters the game for Jay Huff	28	25
48.5	Kevin Durant makes free throw 1 of 3	29	25
48.5	Kevin Durant makes free throw 2 of 3	30	25
48.5	Kevin Durant misses free throw 3 of 3	30	25
48.5	Jarace Walker defensive rebound	30	25
26.5	Pascal Siakam misses 28-foot three point pullup jump shot	30	25
24.3	Rockets defensive team rebound	30	25
24.3	Reed Sheppard enters the game for Dorian Finney-Smith	30	25
24.3	Steven Adams enters the game for Josh Okogie	30	25
24.3	Micah Potter enters the game for Bennedict Mathurin	30	25
0.0	Reed Sheppard misses 26-foot three point jumper	30	25
0.0	Rockets offensive team rebound	30	25
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	30	25

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Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

Toyota Center (Houston)

Houston, TX

Date & Time

1:00 AM, December 30, 2025

Coverage

FanDuel SN IN, Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass

Attendance

18,055

Referees

Sean Wright, Mitchell Ervin, Dannica Baroody

2025-26 Central Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
Detroit	45	16	.738	L2
Cleveland	39	24	.619	W2
Milwaukee	26	35	.426	L4
Chicago	26	37	.413	W1
Indiana	15	48	.238	L8

2025-26 Southwest Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
San Antonio	46	17	.730	W3
Houston	39	23	.629	W1
Memphis	23	38	.377	L2
Dallas	21	42	.333	L6
New Orleans	20	45	.308	L1

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