Trail Blazers 106, Pacers 102
LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Damian Lillard added 26 points as host Portland halted Indiana’s seven-game winning streak.
Wesley Matthews scored 15 points and Mo Williams added 13 as the Trail Blazers won for the 13th time in 14 games. Portland was 29-of-33 from the free-throw line while improving to 7-1 at home and 15-3 overall.
Paul George scored 17 of his career-high 43 points in the fourth quarter and made seven 3-pointers for Indiana. Roy Hibbert had 16 points and 14 rebounds and David West added 12 points and eight rebounds as the Pacers drop to 16-2.
Portland started the final quarter strong and had an eight-point lead after a 3-pointer by Matthews with 6:37 remaining and still led 94-87 after two free throws by Lillard with 3:15 to go. George scored the final 15 Indiana points on five 3-pointers to pull the Pacers within three before Batum made one of two free throws with 9.4 seconds left.
George had 16 first-half points as Indiana led 46-45 at the break. The advantage grew to eight on Orlando Johnson’s 3-pointer with 5:35 left in the third quarter before Portland answered to tie the game at 72 heading into the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: George has topped 30 points four times this season. … Portland has won its last five home meetings with the Pacers. … Hibbert blocked one shot and has at least one rejection in each of Indiana’s 18 games.