In their first road game against the Western Conference, the Indiana Pacers melted down, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in a close contest. The Blue and Gold squandered a late lead in a game of runs, ultimately collapsing to fall to 3-7 on the season.
Missing Malcolm Brogdon due to non-COVID illness, the Pacers appeared to be headed to a blowout loss after the Blazers kicked things off with a 17-4 run, but they managed to keep the game close all night, even taking a nine-point lead late in the fourth before Portland caught fire from downtown and unleashed an 18-5 run of its own to seal their victory, upping their record to 4-5.
TJ McConnell led Indiana in scoring, finishing with a season-high 19 points, including three surprising three-point makes, the most he’s ever tallied donning the Blue and Gold. Myles Turner added 16 markers, with two of his three triples coming in a crucial stretch in the final period.
Meanwhile, CJ McCollum and Norman Powell combined for 52 points to lead Portland, though it was Robert Covington who put the nail in the coffin for the Pacers with his clutch treys, the last of which as a culmination of a five-point swing that clinched them the victory. Damian Lillard‘s persistent slump continued, with the All-Star guard finishing with only four points, missing all of his tries from downtown.
As the Indiana Pacers make a quick turnaround in the second game of their Western Conference road trip against the Sacramento Kings, here are the player grades from their collapse against the Portland Trail Blazers.