Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers: Betting Analysis, Odds & Expert Pick

Houston Rockets (37-24 SU, 33-28 ATS) vs. Indiana Pacers (34-25 SU, 29-29 ATS)

When: Tuesday, March 4th, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, IN, Indianapolis

TV: SCHN

Point Spread: Hou +3.5/Ind -3.5

Total: 230

Money Line: Houston Rockets +128/-152

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Notable Injuries

Rockets

• Fred VanVleet (Out) Ankle
• Dillon Brooks (Questionable) Knee
• Alperen Sengün (Questionable) Back
• Tari Eason (Questionable) Injury Management
• Amen Thompson (Questionable) Shoulder

Pacers

• Isaiah Jackson (Out) Achilles
• Bennedict Mathurin (Doubtful) Wrist

At 7:00 ET, the 5th-place Pacers (-152) will host the 5th-place Rockets (+128) in a non-conference matchup. The over/under line for this game is 230 points.

Indiana is favored by 3.5 points and has a record of 34-25. Houston is 37-24 and has dropped two straight.

Recent Form

Houston’s season record dropped to 37-24 after a 137-128 road loss to the Thunder on Monday. The Rockets were +14 point underdogs but managed to keep the game closer than expected. The total points of 265.5 exceeded the over/under line of 228.5 by 36.5 points.

After a tight 1st quarter, the Thunder went on a 13-0 run, stretching their lead from 68-67 to 81-67. Houston fell behind 102-89 going into the 4th but outscored the Thunder 39-35 in the final quarter.

With a 127-112 win over the Bulls on Sunday, the Pacers improved to 34-25 on the season. Indiana was favored by 11.5 points and covered the spread, while the game’s total of 239 points narrowly missed the O/U line of 240.

After trailing 67-66 at halftime, the Pacers took control by outscoring the Bulls 29-25 in the 3rd quarter and dominated the 4th, holding Chicago to just 20 points while putting up 32 of their own.

The Historicals

The level of competition has been tight in the five most recent games between Rockets and Pacers with just -2 points per game separating the teams. Houston has the ATS edge in this span at 3-2. Houston and Indiana averaged a combined 238 points per game in these games, leading to an over-under mark of 3-2.

Analysis

Cam Whitmore led the Rockets with 27 points and 11 rebounds in their 137-128 loss to the Thunder, hitting four threes at a 66.7% clip. Reed Sheppard added 25 points, including 14 in the 4th quarter, and knocked down three threes.

Houston connected on 16 threes, shooting 45.7% from deep and 48.5% overall. Jalen Green contributed 18 points, scoring 6 in each of the first three quarters.

Defensively, the Rockets struggled on Monday, giving up 137 points to the Thunder. Their toughest stretch came in the 3rd quarter, where they allowed 39 points. Overall, they gave up 30 or more points in every quarter, with Oklahoma City shooting 49% from the field.

Houston had a hard time defending the three, as the Thunder hit 17 threes at a 45% clip. The Rockets also sent Oklahoma City to the line 27 times, where they converted 24 free throws. Houston finished with 34 defensive rebounds, eight steals, and seven blocks.

The Pacers put up 127 points in their win over the Bulls, shooting 55.2% from the field. They connected on 19 threes at a 43.2% rate.

Aaron Nesmith led the way with 27 points, hitting six threes, including 13 points in the 3rd quarter. Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 12 assists.

Despite a tough 1st half where the Pacers gave up 67 points, they tightened up defensively in the 3rd and 4th quarters, allowing just 45 points to the Bulls. Indiana’s defense was particularly strong from beyond the arc, holding Chicago to 30% shooting on threes.

The Pacers sent the Bulls to the line 18 times, where they made 14 free throws. Indiana also recorded 31 defensive rebounds, gave up 12 offensive boards, and added seven steals and four blocks in the game.

Recent Form

Houston’s season record dropped to 37-24 after a 137-128 road loss to the Thunder on Monday. The Rockets were +14 point underdogs but managed to keep the game closer than expected. The total points of 265.5 exceeded the over/under line of 228.5 by 36.5 points.

After a tight 1st quarter, the Thunder went on a 13-0 run, stretching their lead from 68-67 to 81-67. Houston fell behind 102-89 going into the 4th but outscored the Thunder 39-35 in the final quarter.

With a 127-112 win over the Bulls on Sunday, the Pacers improved to 34-25 on the season. Indiana was favored by 11.5 points and covered the spread, while the game’s total of 239 points narrowly missed the O/U line of 240.

After trailing 67-66 at halftime, the Pacers took control by outscoring the Bulls 29-25 in the 3rd quarter and dominated the 4th, holding Chicago to just 20 points while putting up 32 of their own.

The Historicals

The level of competition has been tight in the five most recent games between Rockets and Pacers with just -2 points per game separating the teams. Houston has the ATS edge in this span at 3-2. Houston and Indiana averaged a combined 238 points per game in these games, leading to an over-under mark of 3-2.

Analysis

Cam Whitmore led the Rockets with 27 points and 11 rebounds in their 137-128 loss to the Thunder, hitting four threes at a 66.7% clip. Reed Sheppard added 25 points, including 14 in the 4th quarter, and knocked down three threes.

Houston connected on 16 threes, shooting 45.7% from deep and 48.5% overall. Jalen Green contributed 18 points, scoring 6 in each of the first three quarters.

Defensively, the Rockets struggled on Monday, giving up 137 points to the Thunder. Their toughest stretch came in the 3rd quarter, where they allowed 39 points. Overall, they gave up 30 or more points in every quarter, with Oklahoma City shooting 49% from the field.

Houston had a hard time defending the three, as the Thunder hit 17 threes at a 45% clip. The Rockets also sent Oklahoma City to the line 27 times, where they converted 24 free throws. Houston finished with 34 defensive rebounds, eight steals, and seven blocks.

The Pacers put up 127 points in their win over the Bulls, shooting 55.2% from the field. They connected on 19 threes at a 43.2% rate.

Aaron Nesmith led the way with 27 points, hitting six threes, including 13 points in the 3rd quarter. Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 12 assists.

Despite a tough 1st half where the Pacers gave up 67 points, they tightened up defensively in the 3rd and 4th quarters, allowing just 45 points to the Bulls. Indiana’s defense was particularly strong from beyond the arc, holding Chicago to 30% shooting on threes.

The Pacers sent the Bulls to the line 18 times, where they made 14 free throws. Indiana also recorded 31 defensive rebounds, gave up 12 offensive boards, and added seven steals and four blocks in the game.