Rockets hammer Pacers in historic NBA preseason game

(UPDATED) The Houston Rockets got off to a strong start and never let up, pounding the Indiana Pacers, 116-96, to win the first-ever National Basketball Association (NBA) preseason game to be held in the Philippines.

Before an announced crowd of 12,885 at the Mall of Asia Arena, the Rockets scored the first 12 points of the game and never trailed as the Pacers groped for form all night.

James Harden dazzled the crowd with daring drives to the basket on his way to a team-best 21 points, while Omri Casspi came off the bench to chip in 17 points for the Rockets, who shot an impressive 53.2% from the field while holding the Pacers to just 39.5% shooting.

Donatas Motiejunas and Chandler Parsons added 16 and 15 points, respectively, for Houston.

Paul George had 17 points and David West added 14 for the Pacers, but big man Roy Hibbert struggled with early foul trouble and finished with only six points.

The Main Man: Omri Casspi gave a good account of himself as an important shocktrooper for the Rockets.

Coming off the bench, the 6-foot-9 Israeli gunner waxed hot in an explosive Houston wind-up, drilling in all but three of his 17 points in the fourth canto including a pair of triples while playing the ‘4’ position.

Picked up in the free agent pool last June, Casspi, 25, also tallied a team-high 10 rebounds and issued two assists.
 
Honorable Mentions: James Harden sizzled from the get-go and set the offensive tone for the Rockets, pumping in 10 on the team’s big 31-point surge in the opening canto.

The 6-foot-5 southpaw wingman also collected five rebounds, four assists and four steals while trying to slow down Indiana counterpart Paul George.
Also showing flashes of brilliance for the youthful Rockets squad was Lithuanian center Donatas Motiejūnas who backstopped Casspi by scattering 10 of his 16 points in the payoff period.

The 23-year-old slotman also had three rebounds, one block and a lone steal, proving he can be an able back-up for many-time All-Star teammate Dwight Howard.
Even Jeremy Lin, although relinquishing the starting playmaker role to Patrick Beverley, gave enough lift in the payoff canto, scoring six of his 14 points while igniting the team’s decisive push.
 
Game Turning Point: After back-to-back lay-ups by Orlando Johnson pulled Indiana within 79-84 early in the fourth, Houston countered with 13-4 run behind the exploits of Lin, Casspi and Motiejunas that restore its lead back to 14, setting the stage for a clinical finish by the Rockets.
 
They Said It:
Houston head coach Kevin McHale: “We really wanted to get off to a good start. We set some defensive goals and I thought the first unit really came out strong and establish the defensive intensity. That usually leads to some good ball movement because we were able to make some good deflections and flood down in our offense. They did a really nice job notably in the defensive end.”
 
Indiana head coach Frank Vogel: “Tough loss. Our guys were slow in our transition defense. Credit the Rockets for their consistent running game. They’re a good team offensively and they moved the ball well. I just think they are a speedy team. We have to work better with our ball containment and transition defense.”
 
The scores:
Houston (116) – Harden 21, Casspi 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, Scola 10, G. Hill 10, Granger 9, Watson 9, Hibbert 6, Armstrong 4, Stephenson 4, Copeland 2, Mahinmi 0, Sloan 0, Butler 0, S. Hill 0.
Quarterscores: 31-24, 61-55, 84-75, 116-96.