The Houston Rockets defeated the Indiana Pacers in the first-ever NBA pre-season game held in the Philippines last Tuesday, October 10, 2013 with the final score at 116-96. The NBA Global Games at the MOA Arena is just one of the 12 teams featured by the NBA on their international pre-season games as preparation for the 2013-2014 NBA Regular Season.
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Rockets vs. Pacers 116-96 (Photo: PhilStar Twitter)
According to MOA management there are 13,000 fans attended the game featuring two of the playoff contending teams both from the Eastern and Western conferences of the NBA. One of the most popular NBA player in Asia, Jeremy Lin drew the loudest cheers among the crowd as he was able to score a total of 14 points along with six rebounds and five (–foul word(s) removed–)ists.
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Former OKC Thunder shooting guard James Harden led all scorers with 21 points and showcasing his ability to draw fouls as he shot 7 of 10 from the free throw line. The Rockets led by as much as 15 points, 23-8 in the opening period, they have also launched a 12-0 run during the first quarter of play against the surprised Eastern Conference finalist.
The Houston Rockets managed to dominate the Pacers with 31-24 lead in the first quarter but the Pacers was able to get back in the second quarter with Argentinian Luis Scola providing points for the Pacers as they close down within two points, 37-39, the closest margin in the entire NBA Manila pre-season game.
At the end of the first half, the Houston Rockets was able to control the game at 61-55 as they shoot 58.3% from the field while the Indiana Pacers struggled with 12 turnovers.
In the third period of the game, the Indiana Pacers managed to get valuable points from David West scoring eight points in that period alone but his shots were quickly answered by the Rockets tandem of James Harden and Rockets player linked to KC Concepcion, Chandler Parsons.
The game ended with James Harden leading the Houston Rockets in point production while All-Star forward Dwight Howard provided the inside presence in terms of rebounds and defense. The Indiana Pacers was led by Paul George who scored with 17 points while David West contributed with 11 points.
The scores:
HOUSTON 116 – Harden 21, C(–foul word(s) removed–)pi 17, Motiejunas 16, Parsons 15, Lin 14, Beverley 12, Howard 9, Jones 5, Brooks 5, Brewer 2, Canaan 0, Covington 0.
INDIANA 96 – George 17, West 14, Johnson 11, Hill 10, Scola 10, Granger 9, Watson 9, Hibbert 6, Stephenson 4, Armstrong 4, Copeland 2, Mahinmi 0, Sloan 0, Butler 0.
Quarter-scores: 31-24, 61-55, 79-67, 116-96