Blazers Must Keep Same Nets Energy vs. Pacers

The Portland Trail Blazers are continuing their road trip as they head to the midwest to take on the Indiana Pacers, who have been one of the worst teams in the league this season.

The Pacers will be on the second night of a back-to-back as they play the New York Knicks just before their game against the Blazers. This means the Blazers could have a chance to get out of the gate strong if they play with a similar energy they had against the Brooklyn Nets.

"Overall, I think we did a lot of things good. We took care of the ball for the most part of the game, and then in the last quarter we again had some relaxed moments where we just threw the ball all over the place and we were not focused. Those are the things that we got to be mentally prepared for 48 minutes," Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter said after beating the Nets.

"We followed the game plan, we took care of the ball. We should open shots, didn't force many shots, ran the floor, took care of the ball in transition. DC was protecting the rim the way we wanted. Basically, we followed the game plan and we were effective."

Blazers Have Blueprint to Beat Pacers

The Blazers knew they had to move forward after a tough loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, but they were able to do that and it did not affect how they came out against the Nets.

"Come back, be together, play together, have fun out there, and win games. We don't really get stuck on what happened. We're not sitting, crying about things like that. We're just continuing to play hard, continue to be us. It's okay, and we're trying to get a winning streak going," Deni Avdija said after the game.

In order to get a winning streak going, they cannot let their foot off the gas against the Pacers, even if they have been one of the worst teams in the league. However, if they play like they did against the Nets, they should come out on top against the Pacers.

"You kind of have to bring that energy. We did a good job in the first half, first three quarters, just playing hard, playing together, shooting open shots, making the right plays, and got us out to that lead," Kris Murray said postgame.

A big reason behind the win against the Nets came with their start. The Blazers forced the Nets to play from behind all night long, and it's not a position that they are very comfortable doing. This has been an issue for the Blazers throughout the season, but they have figured out how to do it against lesser teams.

Now that they have another lesser team on their schedule, they should have the confidence that they can do the same thing.

Tip-off between the Blazers and Pacers is scheduled for tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. PT inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Fans can watch the game on Rip City Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.