Trail Blazers at Pacers
Damian Lillard put on his best shooting performance of the season in a losing effort and looks for another strong showing when the Portland Trail Blazers visit the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Lillard set season highs with 35 points and seven 3-pointers as he single-handedly attempted to keep Portland in the game before it succumbed 115-106 to the Chicago Bulls on Friday. Indiana is struggling and will be attempting to snap a seven-game losing streak.
The Trail Blazers defeated Indiana 88-82 in Portland earlier this month as Lillard scored 23 points while both teams shot below 40 percent – Portland at 39.8, Indiana at 39.6. The Pacers lost 106-94 to the Toronto Raptors on Friday and their skid is the longest since losing eight in a row during the 2009-10 campaign. Indiana is struggling to close out games and is 1-14 when trailing entering the fourth quarter.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (17-6): Portland coach Terry Stotts had some concerns over the effort and hustle in the loss to the Bulls. “They had 60 points in the paint; they had 51 shots there,” Stotts told reporters. “They had a lot of penetration and transition to get those points. It was disappointing.” The Trail Blazers were also outrebounded 47-37 and allowed Chicago to collect 14 on the offensive end.
ABOUT THE PACERS (7-16): Indiana has repeatedly dug itself a hole this season with slow starts that hinder its path toward winning. The Pacers were outscored 28-20 by the Raptors on Friday as they fell to 3-13 when being behind after the opening period. Coach Frank Vogel has tried mixing up lineups and switching the substitution pattern, but nothing has worked as the club continues to struggle without injured All-Star forward Paul George (leg).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Portland has lost nine of its last 11 visits to Indianapolis.
2. Trail Blazers PF LaMarcus Aldridge scored 35 points against Chicago for his third 30-point outing of the season.
3. Indiana SG C.J. Miles (knee) left the game against Toronto but is hopeful he can play against Portland.