It may not have counted, but it was nice to see the Indiana Pacers take the floor after a long summer, pulling together a preseason victory over the Houston Rockets. In a back-and-forth game, the Pacers largely looked like they hadn’t missed a beat, a minor sigh of relief if there was any doubt about their mentality heading into, well, the preseason anyway.
The Pacers excelled in familiar areas against the Rockets, forcing 26 turnovers including 11 steals, leading to 30 points and outscoring Houston 24-13 in fast break points. The Pacers went 22-26 from the free throw line in a game that featured a staggering 55 fouls between the two teams.