Pacers take another L against Heat, return to action against Rockets
The Pacers two-game road trip started with another loss with the damage done at winning time. Next up a difficult matchup in Houston.
The Pacers lost to the Heat on Saturday night, 142-116 in a game that didn’t seem like a 26-point loss until suddenly it was. The loss was the eighth consecutive for the Pacers, matching their earlier season-long losing streak.
Positives? Well, Pascal Siakam scored 33 points with 7 rebounds, shaking off a recent slump. Benn Mathurin added 25 points and made a trio of threes, while Andrew Nembhard scored 15 points and dished out 16 assists as the Pacers kept pace with the Heath throughout the first 40 minutes of the game, taking a lead a few times during the third quarter.
The most positive part of the game was the return of Aaron Nesmith, playing off the bench and almost immediately doing Nesmith things, making threes, playing fast and diving on the floor to make plays. He just knows no other way and the juice he adds to the floor was noticeable in how it was missing in prior games.
With all of this great play from top players, it created a wild closing segment of the game when they were all on the floor for a two minutes and change, 10-0 run by the Heat that put the Pacers down 20 and threw the game into garbage time.
Nesmith played most of his minutes in the first half and it appeared the Pacers held him for a closing stint to try to help get over the hump and win a game. After a quick 5-0 run cut what had been a Miami 17-point lead down to 11 with just under 6 minutes remaining. Nesmith then entered the game for a center-less rotation and the bottom dropped out via the 10-0 run which had Nesmith returning to the bench after a little over two minutes of game time.
So…the Pacers have secured the worst record in the league after the Wizards have won their last two. With the Rockets on deck, a team with incredibly athletic length that would cause the Pacers problems if they were fully healthy, the task to halt the losing streak at eight appears daunting.
For some good injury news, assuming Nesmith remains good to go, he should be able to start. Johnny Furphy started in the floating open starting spot against Miami and fared well with 9 points, 7 rebounds and a couple of nice dunks for some fun. He may start again because of that length issue I mentioned, but it would be nice to see Nesmith join, Nembhard, Mathurin and Siakam back in the lineup.
Also, Ben Sheppard was upgraded to questionable, but will not play in Houston. Regardless, the bench depth is on the mend, as well. With TJ McConnell returning after sitting the second game of the back-to-back, the Pacers will have the bulk of their key rotation guys minus Obi Toppin and Tyrese Haliburton. Just getting a chance to let all of these guys play together in different lineups will be a massive improvement and all of what we wanted from this season regardless of the wins and losses.
But in the reality of the moment, the losses keep mounting and the Pacers have assumed the role as the worst team in the league, listed as over two touchdown underdogs (+15.5) against the Rockets on Monday.
Pacers vs. Rockets
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
When: Monday, December 29, 2025 - 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +15.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Jay Huff
Rockets: Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams
Injuries
Pacers: Jay Huff (ankle) - available, TJ McConnell (hamstring) - available, Ben Sheppard (calf) - out, Isaiah Jackson (concussion) - out, Obi Toppin (hammy) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out
Rockets: Alperen Sengun (calf) - questionable, Fred VanVleet (knee) - out