Houston @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 27, 2017 ) Indiana 117, Houston 108

James Harden and the Houston Rockets will try to extend their impressive runs when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Harden scored 38 points - his third straight game with at least 35 - to lead the Rockets to their fifth consecutive win on Saturday, a 111-96 triumph over Memphis.

The five-time All-Star pushed his scoring average to 30.5 points and combined with backcourt mate Eric Gordon (26 points) to make 12-of-25 3-pointers. The Pacers put an end to a four-game slide with a 105-87 victory at Chicago on Friday, their fourth win in six overall that came by at least 17 points. Victor Oladipo scored 25 points and chipped in six rebounds, six assists and two steals to lead the way. "Great road win for us," Oladipo told reporters. "There are some things we still need to get better at. We need to learn each other. This was the first time we had everybody healthy. That's big, too. We took steps in the right direction today."

TV: 6 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston), FSN Indiana

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (10-3): Houston is averaging 120.6 points during its winning streak and enters this one with a 6-1 road record. While Harden and Gordon (23.1 points per game) do the bulk of the damage, veteran reserve P.J. Tucker is proving to be a key offseason acquisition as he posted his second straight double-digit scoring effort in the win over Memphis. Tucker has grabbed 25 rebounds over his last three games and at least one steal in six consecutive contests.

ABOUT THE PACERS (6-7): Indiana gave up an average of 115 points during its losing streak before turning the tables and holding the Bulls to 39.8 percent shooting. "One of our goals tonight was to defend the paint," coach Nate McMillan told the media. "We thought we did a much better job. We held Chicago to 38 points in the paint. We executed the game plan and did a much better job on the defensive end." Bojan Bogdanovic produced season highs in points (22) and 3-pointers (six in nine attempts) while Myles Turner finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and all three of Indiana's blocked shots.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pacers PG Darren Collison is 4-for-15 from the floor over the last two contests but has committed just one turnover in 58 total minutes.

2. Rockets C Clint Capela is averaging 13.5 boards and 3.5 blocks in his last two games.

3. Houston lost both meetings last season, with Harden shooting only 23.5 percent.

PREDICTION: Rockets 110, Pacers 107