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Game Rewind: Pacers 93, Trail Blazers 103

Game Recap

For a couple stretches on Monday night, the Indiana Pacers had it rolling offensively. Unfortunately for Pacers fans, those stretches were bookmarked by sustained periods of stagnant play.

Despite all five starters scoring in double figures for the second straight game, Indiana (4-3) suffered its first home loss of the season on Monday, falling to the Portland Trail Blazers (4-2) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 103-93.

"We just missed shots," Pacers All-Star guard Victor Oladipo said after the loss. "Even our open looks, we missed them. Just a tough night offensively."

Pacers point guard Darren Collison got off to a fast start, connecting on his first three shots for Indiana's first six points of the night. But beyond Collison, both teams sputtered out of the gates.

Indiana connected on just 7-of-26 attempts in the opening frame. The Blazers, meanwhile, started 4-for-15 with six turnovers before connecting on their final five attempts to close the quarter with a 10-3 run to take a 23-16 lead.

The Blue & Gold responded with a furious charge. Oladipo started it with a 3-pointer right out of the timeout, and delivered serious style points on a between-the-legs dish to Bojan Bogdanovic for a three that tied the game at 43 with 2:43 left in the half. That fastbreak was made possible thanks to Myles Turner's block of Damian Lillard at the rim, one of three blocks for Turner in the half.

All told, the Pacers outscored Portland 26-8 before Lillard's basket just before the buzzer provided the final points of the half. Indiana headed into the break holding a 49-45 lead.

Lillard, who entered the night second in the NBA in scoring at 33.8 points per game, had just those two points at halftime, but he came alive in the third quarter. The 2017-18 first-team All-NBA guard scored nine points in the frame and his dish to Zach Collins for a two-handed dunk in the closing seconds of the period gave the Blazers a 71-69 lead heading into the fourth.

Portland slowly extended its advantage in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, eventually pushing the margin to eight on four occasions before Collins' 3-pointer made it 91-80 with 4:54 to play.

The Pacers had one last push in them, as Victor Oladipo scored seven straight points for the Blue & Gold to make it a 98-93 game with 1:32 to play.

The crowd at The Fieldhouse rose to its feet to clamor for a stop on the other end, but the Blazers milked the shot clock down before Al-Farouq Aminu drew a foul and knocked down both foul shots to put the game on ice.

"They just played good defense and we didn't move the ball like we did in the last two games (road wins in San Antonio and Cleveland)," said Pacers forward Bogdanovic, who had 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting. "I think that was the key of tonight's game."

Oladipo scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter and also collected nine rebounds and seven assists in the loss. Collison added 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting and six assists.

Thaddeus Young added 16 points and Myles Turner finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.

CJ McCollum and Collins led Portland with 17 points apiece. Lillard finished with 16 and former Pacers guard Evan Turner contributed 13 points, eight boards, and three assists off the bench.

The Pacers now embark on a two-game road trip with stops in New York on Wednesday and Chicago on Friday before returning home to tip off a three-game homestand against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.

Inside the Numbers

Indiana shot 41.1 percent on Monday. The Pacers have posted a field goal percentage under .440 in each of their three losses this season and over .520 in all of their four wins.

The Pacers were able to force Portland into 18 turnovers on Monday, which they converted into 20 points. On the other end, the Blue & Gold only had nine giveaways.

Indiana struggled from the free throw line, missing seven of 20 attempts. Turner specifically went 0-for-4 from the charity stripe. The Blazers, meanwhile, were 17-for-18 from the foul line.

Collins tied his career high with 17 points, a mark he set just four days ago against Orlando.

Former Purdue All-American Caleb Swanigan recorded his first career double-double, setting career-best marks for both points (11) and rebounds (10).

Portland outrebounded Indiana 50-35 on the night. The Pacers have now lost the battle of the boards in five of their last six games.

Darren Collison, Damian Lillard

Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images

You Can Quote Me On That

"I thought we could have been more patient and got more ball reversal. I thought we settled. A lot of those shots were the first option, it wasn't swing and you're playing your third or fourth option." -McMillan

"You're playing against a really good defensive team and they’re making you move with their actions. We're getting there, we're starting to become a really good offensive team and Nate has done a good job telling us to continue to move the ball. We just missed some easy shots, sometimes nights are going to be like that and it just wasn't our night." -Collison

"Nights like this happen. It's about not letting it linger. It's about having quick turnarounds and playing with the same confidence, the same swagger and the same belief next game. We just have to get ready for Wednesday." -Oladipo

"That was a quality road win. It was a very good team. They play hard defense, they share the ball on offense, they’ve got good scorers. I was really pleased with our defense in the second half." -Blazers head coach Terry Stotts

"The second unit came in and played really well. We definitely came in and did our job. We ran the lead up and we didn’t let it go down, especially in the second half when the starters came out and we played really well and pushed the lead and did our job." -Collins

Stat of the Night

The Blazers' bench outscored Indiana's reserves 54-15. Portland had four members of their second unit (Collins, Turner, Swanigan, and Nik Stauskas) score in double figures, while zero Pacers reserves accomplished the feat.

Noteworthy

  • Portland improved to 55-34 all-time against the Pacers, including a 25-20 record in Indianapolis.
  • Indiana has now lost three straight and eight of its last nine contests against the Blazers.
  • Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, who became the NFL's all-time leading scorer on Sunday, was honored during the first half of Monday's game. Pacers President/COO Rick Fuson presented Vinatieri with an autographed Victor Oladipo jersey and the crowd greeted the legendary kicker with a standing ovation.

Up Next

The Pacers will head to Madison Square Garden to take on the Knicks on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 8:00 PM ET. The Halloween contest will be televised nationally on ESPN and regionally on FOX Sports Indiana.

Tickets

The Pacers return home to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday, Nov. 3 to host Gordon Hayward and the Boston Celtics at 7:00 PM ET. Limited seats remain, so secure your seats today. Find Tickets »

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