Rockets and Pacers to play in Philippines: report

Jeremy Lin of the Houston Rockets at Verizon Center on February 23, 2013 in Washington. Asian-American NBA star Lin and the Houston Rockets will face the Indiana Pacers in a pre-season game next October in the Philippines, according to a report there on Monday

Asian-American NBA star Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets will face the Indiana Pacers in a pre-season game next October in the Philippines, according to a report there on Monday. Neither club nor the NBA has commented on the report, but NBA Philippines Facebook and Twitter accounts have posted messages with the league logo and the phrase "Big Things Are Coming" with an announcement date on Tuesday. The same logo is also found on the website of the Mall of Asia arena, where InterAKTV reported the first-ever NBA pre-season exhibition game will match the Rockets and Pacers next October 10. Basketball is loved in the Philippines and Filipino fans have had a taste of NBA talent as recently as 2011 when Kobe Bryant and other top players were there while the league was shut down in a money dispute between players and club owners. No NBA club has played in the Philippines since the Washington Bullets made an Asian tour in 1979.