Reed Sheppard Stats Tonight: How did Rockets rookie fare in bench return vs Pacers after dropping career high? (Mar. 4) 

Houston Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard returned to the team's bench in Tuesday's clash against the Indiana Pacers. He was coming off a career-high 25-point night in his first start for the team during Monday's contest against the OKC Thunder. Sheppard played in a sixth-man role and was expected to have a significant impact.

However, he couldn't carry over the momentum against Indiana. Rockets' regular rotation players returning against the Pacers hindered Sheppard's opportunities. He only had one attempt in eight minutes in the first half. Sheppard made a trip to the foul line for two attempts but missed those shots, too. He added a rebound, two assists, and one steal, committing one personal foul and posting a +/- score of -12.

Despite his struggles in the first half, coach Ime Udoka continued to run with Reed Sheppard in the third quarter, giving him five minutes in the quarter. Sheppard ended his field goal drought, going 1-for-4, and added another steal, entering the fourth quarter. With the Rockets attempting a comeback through most of the fourth and nearly getting there, Sheppard didn't see the floor until the final minute.

After the Rockets starters failed to execute the comeback, Udoka reintroduced Sheppard with the second unit, in which he played just under two minutes and made one shot on one attempt. Sheppard finished with four points, one rebound, two assists and two steals on 2 of 6 shots.

He missed his only shot from 3-point range and his two free throw attempts. The Rockets lost 115-102, falling to their third consecutive loss.