Game Rewind: Pacers 129, Trail Blazers 98

After securing a win in Houston, the Pacers returned home to host the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday afternoon.

The Blue & Gold put on a show for the hometown crowd. Several Pacers stuffed the highlight reel as the squad took home a commanding 129-98 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Portland (26-44) never led in the game.

In all, seven Indiana (25-47) players finished in double figures. Four recorded 17 points or more. Oshae Brissett led the way with a team-high 24 points and nine rebounds. The forward finished 8-of-10 from the field. Justin Anderson — the G-League's leading scorer — dropped 18 points in his first NBA start since the Orlando bubble. Jalen Smith and Terry Taylor also added 17 apiece. Taylor finished 7-of-7 from the floor.

"It was fun," Taylor said. "We were sharing the ball, making exciting plays. It just makes you want to go out there and compete, and give more energy plays to your teammates out there."

The Pacers got some early offense from Anderson to earn a slim lead. The 10-day contract signee notched the first five Pacers points of the contest, including a crisp baseline three. After Anderson's triple fell, the squad began to roll.

The Pacers defense limited Portland to one field goal over the first 7:04. Leading 7-4, Indiana used a 9-0 run — four from Goga Bitadze — to earn a 16-4 lead with 6:29 left. When Brandon Williams stopped the spree with three free throws, Anderson countered with his second 3-ball of the afternoon.

Indiana expanded the lead to 23-9 before Trendon Watford hit the visitors' first triple with 3:53 to play. After Duane Washington Jr. retaliated with a three, Josh Hart nailed another, prompting Rick Carlisle to use his first timeout with 3:17 left. Indiana led 26-15.

The Blazers briefly cut the lead to eight on two occasions down the stretch. However, Indiana had an answer both times. The squad capped off a stellar first quarter with five unanswered in the final minute, giving Indiana a 35-22 lead going into the second quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Smith provided Indiana with the points needed to maintain a 13-point lead. The young forward tallied six of the first nine Pacers points of the frame, including a nifty one-handed jumper at the 9:19 mark.

Smith’s bucket ignited a 12-2 Pacers run over the next 3:36 that stretched the lead to 54-33. Haliburton and Brissett contributed five each to the run, including Brissett's gritty three-point play in the paint off an offensive rebound.

Late in the frame, Portland used a 7-0 spurt to cut Indiana's lead to 14. But, Brissett recorded eight points of an 11-0 run, including one of the best highlights of the season. Haliburton picked up a loose ball and arced a pass to Lance Stephenson. Taking one step, Stephenson sent a perfect behind-the-back pass to Brissett, who finished with a reverse two-handed slam through a foul. He sank the ensuing free throw, giving Indiana a 65-40 with 1:51 remaining.

"I think it's one of the most unselfish plays of the season," Rick Carlisle said. "It'll be a highlight."

The Pacers ended the first half with a 69-48 advantage. Although the Blazers started the third with five straight, little came of it. Brissett continued his impressive outing by tallying five of Indiana's first seven points of the frame. Bitadze then reached the double-digit mark with a jumper at the 8:38 mark. The bucket earned a 78-59 lead.

When Portland cut the gap to 16, Buddy Hield shined. Leading 80-64 with 5:51 left, the sharpshooter nailed his first triple from the right side. Ten seconds later, he hit another trey after swiping the Blazers' inbounds pass. The six-point swing pushed Indiana's lead back to 22.

But the Blazers were determined to stick around. With 1:50 left in the third, Josh Hart dropped his 12th point of the frame — a driving finger roll layup — to cut the Pacers' lead to 92-76. Ben McLemore then hit a layup to trim the margin to 14. Then, with eight seconds left, Hart split the defense and finished another layup to cut the gap to 94-82 before the fourth quarter.

The Blue & Gold held firm over the early moments of the fourth quarter. With 10:30 to play, Keifer Sykes gave the squad a momentum boost with a one-handed flush, prompting a big reaction from Indiana's bench. Then, the rookie guard added five more points as Indiana pushed its lead to 108-89 with 8:04 remaining.

Sykes' 10-footer began a 10-0 Indiana run that put the game on ice. Smith and Washington Jr. drilled back-to-back triples, and Terry Taylor added a reverse layup off an Anderson assist to cap the run. Indiana led 116-89 with 5:51 to play.

The Blue & Gold continued to wow the crowd as time wound down. Taylor, Washington, and Anderson teamed up for several easy buckets, including a few more heart-breaking slams, as the squad cruised to the victory.

Indiana finished 48-of-84 (57.1 percent) from the floor, tying its second-best shooting performance of the season.

Goga Bitadze tallied 12 points to secure his fifth consecutive game in double figures. He also dished out three assists.

The Blue & Gold won the rebounding battle, 41-32..

"It was spectacular. We've seen Lance (Stephenson) make similar-type plays. But he sees the floor. And he put a little extra mustard on it with the look-off into the crowd. Oshae made a really strong finish and got fouled." –Rick Carlisle on Brissett's highlight dunk

"I have the ultimate confidence in myself. Unfortunately, I've dealt with some injuries. And that's the only reason why I personally believe that I haven't been able to showcase my talent in this league still. I had to sit out all last year due to surgery. And every day I just kept my mindset locked in on what was going to be next." –Anderson on staying ready despite his hardships

The Pacers dished out a season-high 38 assists against Portland, including a game-high 11 from Lance Stephenson.

Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, and Jeremy Lamb return to Indiana as the Pacers welcome the Sacramento Kings to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, March 23 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »