Indiana Pacers sloppy performance leads to loss against Portland Trail Blazers
The Indiana Pacers hosted the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. The Blazers had been struggling of late and were looking to bounce back from a Sunday night loss while the Pacers were looking for their third win in four games.
Early, both teams were scoring with ease. Indiana had 10 points about two minutes into the game, and Portland responded quickly. After less than four minutes, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle took a timeout with his team trailing 14-12.
Portland made their first three outside shots, which made their offense look fantastic early. Indiana was able to keep pace, though. With five minutes to go in the first quarter, the blue and gold led 24-21. Indiana's star guard Tyrese Haliburton already had eight points.
A few minutes later, the Blazers surged back into the lead. Despite Haliburton being up to 12 points at that point, Portland held a 30-28 advantage. They were shooting 65% at that point — the Pacers had to defend better.
Both teams were better on the defensive end down the stretch of the first frame, but Indiana improved their fortunes by more than Portland. The home team didn't allow a single point over the final 2:54 of the frame, and they were ahead 34-30 after 12 minutes. Haliburton's 12 points led the way.
The second quarter opened with a mini run from the Blazers, who jumped ahead 39-36 after just a few moments. Indiana was struggling to score with their bench group.
With 8:21 to go in the quarter, Carlisle took a timeout with his team down by six. They had just three points in the quarter up to that point — they were struggling to get into their offense. They needed to regroup.
Many Pacers starters came pack in after the stoppage, and that got the team's offense back on track. While the defense was weak, Haliburton and co couldn't be stopped as they surged to a 12-4 in under three minutes. That put Indiana back in the lead with a few minutes to go in the half.
Portland responded well and went on a run to close the half. Toumani Camara hit a three-point shot at the halftime buzzer to give the visitors a five-point lead at the break at 65-60. Despite 20 points from Haliburton, the Pacers were lacking some burst and pop. They needed juice in the second half.
The third frame opened up as a back-and-forth affair, and Portland's five-point halftime lead was up to seven after five minutes of play. Indiana looked sloppy, but their talent advantage kept them in it even without solid play.
They needed to lock in for a stretch to go on a run, but they were unable to do so for much of the third quarter. All of their runs were met by Trail Blazers buckets, and they couldn't string together enough stops.
Portland kept putting pressure on the rim, and Indiana couldn't get into a flow. They had many chances to get some momentum but couldn't capitalize. Midway through the third quarter, Jalen Smith exited the game with an injury. The blue and gold, already struggling, needed reserve big man Isaiah Jackson to step up.
With 2:40 to go in the third, Portland's halftime lead of four was still the difference. They were doing a good job slowing down the Pacers in a way that few teams have this season. Indiana had just 77 points at that point.
A few moments later, the Pacers finally found a stretch of solid play, and it was enough to regain the lead at 83-81. T.J. McConnell and Jackson were playing well to guide the second unit.
After three frames, the score was tied at 83. Haliburton was leading the blue and gold with 23 points at that time.
The fourth quarter opened up with more sloppy play from both sides. Portland kept pushing the ball into the paint and forcing the Pacers to switch on defense while Indiana had too many turnovers. With nine minutes to go, the game remained tied at 92.
With six minutes to go in the game, the Blazers held a 96-95 advantage. The Pacers had several opportunities to take the lead or grab momentum, but they were all unsuccessful. They were going to need a late push to win.
Given how the blue and gold had played all night, that was a tough task. They couldn't get any rhythm on offense all night, so they were going to need to find another gear. They were also going to need to find a way to slow down Portland forward Jerami Grant, who was on fire in the fourth quarter.
Instead, it was the Blazers who made a short run. They went up by as much as six in the final minutes, putting Indiana on the back foot. The Pacers were going to have to play perfectly down the stretch to win.
The home team cut the lead down to three, but Grant responded with another bucket. That was the story for much of the fourth quarter. Every time Indiana got close, Grant had an answer.
The Pacers missed two open threes in a 40 second span late which would have kept the game close. They were down four with 33.4 seconds to go with the Trail Blazers holding possession.
They couldn't pull off the comeback and dropped another close game at home 114-110. Indiana had more talent, but they didn't play like it on Monday night. They fell to 9-7.
Haliburton finished with 33 points and nine assists. Three other Pacers players reached double figures. Their offense had a bad night, and it cost them.
The Pacers next play on Thursday when they take on the Heat in Miami.
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