Pacers will try to reverse recent trend against Houston
Like the Indiana Pacers, the Houston Rockets are fighting to hold on to a playoff spot in their respective conference.
While Houston is coming off a victory, the Pacers' postseason push hit a bump in their latest game, and they step up in class Sunday night while attempting to snap a four-game losing streak to the visiting Rockets.
Houston (36-37) is among four teams in contention for the final three spots in the West and aided its cause Friday by topping Atlantic Division-leading Toronto 112-109. The Rockets are virtually tied for the seventh spot with Utah and one-half game ahead of Dallas in ninth.
James Harden registered his third triple-double this season - 32 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds - while helping end his team's three-game slide.
"We've got to win every game from here on out," Harden said. "We've only got a handful left so each and every game is important. We've got to take advantage of opportunities."
The Rockets will try to keep taking steps in the right direction during a two-game road trip that finishes against East-leading Cleveland on Tuesday.
First, they'll seek their longest win streak against Indiana since a series-best, nine-game run from 1985-89. Houston needed overtime for its latest victory over the Pacers, 107-103 on Jan. 10.
The Rockets have dropped their last three road games, their worst in a single season since a six-game losing streak in 2012-13.
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The Pacers (38-34), meanwhile, failed to sweep a three-game stretch against opponents well out of the playoff race, blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead Saturday in a 120-110 loss to Brooklyn.
"You've got to improve somewhere or we'll be watching the playoffs in April," point guard George Hill said.
Detroit's loss to Atlanta kept Indiana one percentage point ahead of the Pistons for seventh in the East. The Pacers also remained two games ahead of ninth-place Chicago, which lost 111-89 in Orlando.
"We have to move on. We play well against some really good teams and it's no knock on Brooklyn - they came out and played hard, but it's a bad loss," said forward Paul George, who scored 27 points. "The bigger picture is that we'll be better than that."
Indiana has won its past two home games after losing four of six but averaged 91.5 points in those victories. The Pacers allowed an average of 79.5 in those contests against league-worst Philadelphia and New Orleans.
George has averaged 27.5 points on 51.4 percent shooting in his two career home games against Houston, but he missed last season's 110-100 loss recovering from a fractured leg.
George had 20 points in the earlier matchup this season. Trevor Ariza led the Rockets with 24 while Dwight Howard had 21 along with 17 rebounds.
Howard is averaging just 7.7 points in his last seven games and scored two in Friday's win.
Harden had a relatively pedestrian 21 points in his latest meeting with Indiana after topping 40 in each of his previous two, including 44 in last season's victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Rockets forward Michael Beasley, signed March 4, scored 21 points on Friday and is averaging 17.5 while shooting 59.0 percent in his last six games.
