This one hurt. The Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Indiana Pacers 118-113 in an overtime thriller Friday night. The Blazers fall to 35-15 on the season and 15-10 on the road. The Pacers will improve their record at home to an impressive 24-2.
This game was probably the hardest loss to take for Trail Blazer fans. Not that just Portland lost in OT, but in how they lost. Even with the tremendous performances by Damian Lillard, Robin Lopez and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers were unable to close it out. Portland played a great game for three and a half quarters. They outscored the Pacers 28-16 and it looked like the offense was back in full swing. Lillard was hitting from mid-range, LA had it going early and made several shots in a row and Batum was throwing passes right and left. However, this is Indiana and they weren’t done. Even without the help of Lance Stephenson, who was sitting out this game with injury, and with Paul George finishing just 5-for-23, Indiana was able to make this a game by staying close and not allowing Portland to really blow it open.
The second quarter was Indiana’s as they struck back outscoring the Blazers by 7. However, the second quarter was not without its highlights as Lillard nailed a three-pointer while being fouled for a chance at a four-point play. He secured it and ended the quarter on a good note, even though George Hill made an impressive layup on the other end.
The third quarter is slowly becoming the Blazers’ friend again. Portland was only able to outscore Indiana by 1, but it is nice to see that the Blazers are starting to find their offensive flow once again. Then the fourth quarter happened. The Pacers, in particular David West and George Hill, could not miss. George Hill had a career-high 37 points on 12-for-19 shooting with 8 assists and 9 rebounds. David West finished with 30 points on 13-for-16 shooting and 10 rebounds. The Pacers were able to grab offensive rebounds, which the Blazers had done well in the first half. Portland only allowed the Pacers one offensive rebound. However, adjustments were made and the Pacers did what they do best and that is work hard for every possession. The Blazers were caught in all kinds of bad situations defensively and that allowed David West or the giant, Roy Hibbert, to grab rebounds with ease and get second-chance opportunities. Even with Paul George shooting poorly, other plays stepped up in a big way. George Hill filled Lance Stephenson’s shoes in terms of stats in tonight’s game.
Speaking of offensive rebounds, Portland failed to grab the rebound that would have sent them flying to Minnesota with a win. The Pacers got a second-chance opportunity and George Hill shot a fadeaway three-pointer that swished. Portland had a chance for a game-winner, but the suffocating defense by Indiana made that almost impossible. Overtime it went.
By now, Indiana had all the momentum and it showed. They outscored the Blazers 15-10; however, overtime was probably the most frustrating part about this game. The Blazers kept it close and had plenty of chances to win this game. Two costly turnovers got in the way of that. Robin Lopez, after grabbing a rebound, tried to do a handoff while being swarmed; unfortunately, the ball got bobbled and allowed the Pacers to get an easy bucket. The second and probably the most painful turnover was LA throwing the ball at David West. LA secured a hard-fought rebound and was standing in a corner. It looked as if he was going to wait, but decided to pass it to someone. However, it was a perfect shot right into the chest of David West who laid the ball up. Crying yet?
In what was a hard-fought game that definitely had a playoff atmosphere to it, the Blazers came up short in a game that they should have won. Give credit to Indiana. George Hill stepped up in a big way and caused all kinds of trouble for Lillard and the rest of the squad. David West hit every single mid-range shot and Roy Hibbert was just a beast.
I would like to take a moment to credit Batum and his magnificent defense on Paul George. Paul George shot 5-for-23 and looked frustrated for most of the night. Batum denied him the ball on multiple occasions and had a couple of impressive defensive sequences. Despite the turnovers in overtime and the painful mistakes in the fourth quarter, Portland’s all-stars showed up to play. Damian Lillard went 15-for-26, 4-for-7 from three and had 11 assists. His three-pointer was finally there after a week and a half of it just disappearing. Lillard carried the Blazers most of the game and looked like he was finally in rhythm.
LaMarcus Aldridge, if you take away the painful turnover in overtime, had a solid game. He finished with 22 points on 9-for-24 shooting and had 9 rebounds. He went 5-for-10 in the first quarter.
Well, the Blazers have to forget this game quickly as they head to chilly Minnesota to face off against the Timberwolves tomorrow night at the Target Center at 5:00 p.m. PST. The Timberwolves also played tonight in New Orleans at the time of this posting and lost. Both teams are looking for the win and both will have tired legs, especially the Blazers. Stay tuned!