Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers (32-28) remained red-hot on Sunday night, rolling to a 111-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers (31-28) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Lillard scored 33 points, knocking down five of the Blazer’s 14 3-pointers, to hand Indiana its second consecutive loss.
With a four-game road trip set to begin on Monday, the Pacers were planning the perfect send-off on Sunday night, a win over Portland. But things didn’t go according to script in the first half, as Indiana headed into halftime trailing the Trail Blazers, 65-54.
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The Blazers played Saturday night in Chicago before traveling to Indy, but they didn’t show any signs of fatigue in the opening quarter. If anything, Portland carried over some swagger from their win over the Bulls as they knocked down a barrage of shots in the early going.
The Blazers shot 63.6 percent from the field and made 5-of-7 3-pointers in the first quarter en route to a 39-27 lead. Lillard, who had topped 30 points in six of his last seven contests entering Sunday, dropped 20 on the Pacers in the first 12 minutes, going 7-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Portland would never relinquish its lead over the final three quarters.
The Pacers did manage to cut the deficit to four points when a Monta Ellis 3-pointer made it an 81-77 game with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter, but the Blazers immediately responded with a 14-2 run over the next four minutes that essentially put the game away.
Meyers Leonard did the lion’s share of the scoring for the Blazers over that stretch, scoring 12 of the Blazers’ 14 points, including the last 11.
The 7-foot-1 backup big man with a solid shooting stroke — he had already made 70 3-pointers on the season entering Sunday — knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing just before the third quarter buzzer sounded, then buried a triple on Portland’s first possession of the fourth. On the next possession, Leonard pump-faked a corner three and converted a runner off the bounce. He ended his barrage with one last three with 10:15 to play that gave the Blazers a 16-point lead.
The Blazers stretched the lead to 21 points and Pacers head coach Frank Vogel pulled his starters with over five minutes to go. Indiana’s reserves did manage to reel off 12 unanswered points, but it was too little too late for a comeback, as Portland collected its 13th win in its last 15 games.
Ellis led Indiana with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Jordan Hill added 15 points and five boards off the bench. George Hill contributed 14 points, six boards, and five assists.
Five Blazers finished the night in double figures. Lillard’s backcourt partner C.J. McCollum finished with 19 points, as did reserve swingman Gerald Henderson, who made 8-of-9 shots on the evening. Leonard finished with 17 points while going 4-for-5 from 3-point range and Al-Farouq Aminu added 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Pacers won’t have much time to rest before their next game. Indiana’s final four-game road trip of the season begins on Monday night in Cleveland, where the Blue & Gold will take on the East-leading Cavaliers.
Pacers Hooded Sweatshirt – $25. Game Night Specials can be purchased in the Home Court Gift Shop or any of our souvenir stands located on all levels of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The special is also available online at PacersGear.com until midnight.
