In their first game of the MGM Resorts Summer League, the Pacers fell 92-89 to the Houston Rockets at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
Despite the loss, Indiana received an impressive debut performance from rookie Aaron Holiday, who started off the game hot and didn't cool off, netting a game-high 23 points in his first game with the Pacers.
Holiday started the game looking every bit the part of a solid NBA player. The first-round draft pick connected on his first 3-point attempt of the game and scored eight of Indiana's first 10 points of the afternoon.
"I just try to go out there and make a change (in tempo)," Holiday said after the game. "I feel like with my speed I should change the tempo every time, whether it's defense or offense, and I just try to use it to my advantage"
In the closing seconds of the game, the Pacers had control of the ball trailing by three. But despite needing a 3-pointer to tie things up, Indiana was unable to get a shot off, as the buzzer sounded mid-pass.
The Rockets were led offensively by Danuel House and Trevon Duval, who both notched 20 points.
During the game's early moments, the Pacers took a 14-12 lead over the Rockets, but Houston's offense began to find its flow, breaking off a 9-2 run that was capped by an and-1 from R.J. Hunter.
Facing an early hole, Indiana responded with a forceful 10-0 sprint to close the first quarter, which included second-round draft pick Alize Johnson's first field goal in a Pacers uniform. The burst of offense led to a 26-22 Pacers lead after one quarter of play.
Like Holiday, Johnson had an impressive debut for the Pacers, starting off the game slow but finishing with 15 points and three rebounds in his first action with Indiana.
"He has ability to stretch the floor offensively and he can handle the ball," said Summer League Head Coach Steve Gansey of Johnson's performance. "He can do a lot of different things and he has that quick drive. He had some nice little floaters."
In the second quarter, just as Houston began to make a run at the lead, the Pacers used a highlight-reel block from Bryce Alford that led to an easy dunk from Alex Poythress on the other end, putting the Blue & Gold up 36-32 with 5:50 remaining in the half.
But for the remainder of the half, it was all Houston as the Rockets were able to rally to take a 50-45 lead into the locker room.
In the third frame, Houston's onslaught continued early on, but the Pacers ended up winning the quarter 21-20, narrowing their deficit to a 70-66 Rockets lead entering the fourth quarter.
During the fourth, Houston opened up the quarter on fire, scoring five straight points to quickly open up a 75-66 advantage. Although the Pacers were able to winnow the lead back down to just two points, Indiana was never able to retake the advantage as Houston managed to close out the three-point win.