Blazer's Edge - Complete Coverage: Portland Trail Blazers 95, Indiana Pacers 85The ultimate coverage and analysis of the Portland Trail Blazershttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47543/blazersedge-fave.png2014-12-14T12:25:11-08:00http://www.blazersedge.com/rss/stream/71528342014-12-14T12:25:11-08:002014-12-14T12:25:11-08:00My Night at the Pacers Arena
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<figcaption>Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Sam Tongue explains how seeing the Blazer's in person at the Moda Center is one thing. Seeing the team on the road is entirely different.</p> <p>It's been two years since I have seen the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> in person as a "fan." It's also the third straight year I've seen the Trail Blazers on the road, starting in Phoenix, then in Chicago last year (<a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2014/4/4/5581226/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-nba-media-member" target="_blank">though I went as media</a>) and finally in Indiana this season.</p>
<p>Every time you see a game on the road you get a different perspective on the Blazers, NBA fandom and the league in general. Saturday night was no different.</p>
<p>In an attempt to simultaneously create an arena report and general impressions experience (considering I didn't get back from the game until well past midnight), here's the broken down version of <a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2014/12/13/7388461/blazers-vs-pacers-final-score-portland-holds-off-indiana" target="_blank">Saturday's road trip-ending, ten point victory</a> for the Trail Blazers:</p>
<h4>The Game</h4>
<p>While you can read the <a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2014/12/13/7389217/portland-trail-blazers-vs-indiana-pacers-nicolas-batum-roy-hibbert" target="_blank">entire bird's eye view</a> of the game from Dave's perspective here, I'm always surprised at how differently we analyze a game when we attend in person versus watching it on television. When the Blazers are on the road, those ebbs and flows of the crowd energy are inverted, which magnifies the differences even more.</p>
<p>As I'm sure it was visible on TV, the overall attendance was sparse. Indiana was heading into the game on a seven-game losing streak, playing without two starters -- <span>Paul George</span> and <span>George Hill</span> -- and still getting inconsistent production from its two best healthy players <span>Roy Hibbert</span> and <span>David West</span>.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, the game seemed over before it started.</p>
<p>It was obvious Indiana was going to be outmatched all night long. Even though the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.indycornrows.com/">Pacers</a> managed to keep things close in the first quarter, a barrage of solid defense, <span>Wesley Matthews</span> threes and <span>Damian Lillard</span> drives allowed Portland to streak out to a 20-point lead at halftime. At this point, it didn't necessarily seem shocking to the crowd. Maybe the speed at which the Blazers jumped out to that lead was a little jarring (Portland outscored Indiana 36-15 in the second quarter), but the mumbling and groaning by Pacer fans seemed to be quite rehearsed over the last two weeks.</p>
<p>But as we know, while no deficit is too small for the Blazers to overcome, no lead is too large to give up either.</p>
<p>In the words of Mike Barrett, if the Blazers were "red hot" in the second quarter, they went "ice cold" in the second half. As the Blue and Gold (as they call them around here) began to claw back, the Blazer fans in the arena started to get restless. They've seen this movie before. What was ironic, though, was that as unsurprising as it was for the nice array of Blazer fans in the arena to see this happen, it seemed equal in magnitude the surprise to the rest of the arena that Indiana found a way to get back in the game. By the fourth quarter, when the Pacers managed to cut the lead to single digits, the fans' reaction seemed to be something along the lines of: "Wait, this is only an eight-point game? HOLY COW, THIS IS AN EIGHT POINT GAME!!!!"</p>
<p>But as we know, things didn't last for the Pacers, as a <span>Robin Lopez</span> tip-in coupled with Damian Lillard and <span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> jumpers managed to Marcus Mariota Heisman-pose Indiana into their eighth loss in a row.</p>
<h4>The Reaction</h4>
<p>It was the honest to goodness truth that my plan heading into the night was to chat with some of the Pacers fans around me about what they thought of Indiana, the Trail Blazers, the NBA, etc. However, my seat was surrounded in all directions by, well, empty seats. All except right in front of me, where there was a small group of Blazer fans from Indiana. Needless to say, even if I wanted to chat about how the Pacers season was going, it likely would have added insult to injury. So instead, I gathered the main reaction to the game from the Pacers' radio postgame show on the drive home (dubbed "The World's Greatest Postgame Show," from which Brian Wheeler would surely disagree).</p>
<p>Before I describe any reaction, I should preface this with what is often the cliché about basketball in Indiana, but it's absolutely true: Indiana basketball fans are some of the most intelligent in the United States. It's a very prideful group. Fans living in the state have seen Larry Bird put French Lick, Ind. on the map, Bob Knight throw chairs and win national championships and Indiana University, and seen a no-class system in high school basketball turn into one of the greatest sports movies of all time, "Hoosiers."</p>
<p>Two moments put this intelligence into perspective. The first is the Robin Lopez tip-in that somehow was magnetized to fall through the net near the end of the game. It was a backbreaker, and the arena knew it -- that moment was probably the most silent the arena was all night. The other was when the Pacers managed a late-game, over-and-back turnover. I could read the lips of the closest Pacer fan to me saying to his friend, "What the heck was that?" But it was less about what the violation actually was (which would have been a legitimate question by non-basketball enthusiasts in, say, Los Angeles) but more "What was he thinking?" The two chuckled at the head-scratcher of a turnover, put their coats on and left.</p>
<p>The general consensus amongst people that cover the team is that, while smart, Indiana sports fans in general are quite spoiled. Just in Indianapolis, fans saw over a decade of Peyton Manning shredding and slicing through the record books en route to a Super Bowl. Now, they get to watch Andrew Luck put the Colts back on the map after just one abysmal year a few seasons ago. The same goes for the Pacers: Just six months ago, Indiana was going toe to toe with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> with a shot at a conference title for the second season in a row. The success was reminiscent of the Reggie Miller days or even the ABA Championships the Pacers won in the early 70's. And this athletic success of the state doesn't even mention the likes of Indiana Hoosier basketball or Notre Dame football.</p>
<p>From a Blazers perspective, this was a solid win over an inferior team on the road. It gives Portland some momentum before they head back home to face a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">San Antonio Spurs</a> team that just lost to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a>. But from a Pacers perspective, this is a team that's used to winning -- "eight-game losing streak" just simply isn't in their vocabulary. You start to get the feeling, though, that the emotions of unreasonably high expectations from Pacer fans may start to boil over. In the meantime, they grumbled through another loss at home.</p>
<p>There was some talk on the postgame show about the Trail Blazers. Every guest on the show was extremely complimentary of Portland this season. The "They're 18-6 -- they're really good" line was one used generously to explain why Indiana lost. Lillard was used in the "another one of these elite point guards the Pacers have played of late" refrain. In probably the biggest compliment of all, Aldridge was described as "the type of player you pay to see come to the arena." So the Blazers are certainly getting some love from a fan base that knows what it's talking about.</p>
<h4>The Arena</h4>
<p>I would be remiss if I didn't mention Banker's Life Fieldhouse in this entire recap. Because I arrived fairly early (and looked around some when the team was up 25...), I got to check out some features of the arena. Like I said earlier, this is my third straight season of visiting a new arena. This one in downtown Indianapolis was by far the nicest I've been to thus far.</p>
<p>There's certain some history as you walk inside. The team has three ABA championship banners, plus a multitude of division and conference championship banners as well. However, it isn't the history that stole my attention -- after all, the last time I saw the Blazers in person was last spring against Chicago, and I've never seen more banners between the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Bulls</a> and Blackhawks in my life.</p>
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<p>What really stole the show for me was Banker's Life's design. What I love about stadiums and arenas all across the country is when they capture the personality of the city. While the Moda Center is continuing to improve its amenities in that way, from its scoreboard lined with iconic Portland landmarks to the new local food and beverage options around the arena, Banker's Life Fieldhouse takes it to a new level.</p>
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<p>The whole arena is lined with brick, which is a direct reference to the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (this is a theme you see all over Indianapolis, including Lucas Oil Stadium where the Colts play). The entryway also seems to be reminiscent of an old-school ticketing office, almost an ode to the design of the racetrack or even the ticket booths at Churchill Downs, located in neighboring Louisville, Kentucky just an hour south. My favorite part was probably the different shrines located throughout the arena, paying homage to the history of high school basketball in Indiana and the various Hall of Famers that have put on a Pacers uniform.</p>
<p>The other non-basketball parts of the night were... an experience. The starting lineups for Indiana included fireworks and fire. The halftime show had two rescue dogs flying through the air catching Frisbees (arguably the most exciting part of the night). And the drumline featured in the arena provided a steady dose of entertainment during timeouts. All in all, it seemed like overcompensation for a team that doesn't have near the same amount of pizazz, but I guess you have to make the in-arena experience worth coming out for instead of watching on the couch, right?</p>
<p>Getting out of town is a unique experience. There's no <span>Rudy Fernandez</span> shirseys or "Let's -- Go -- Blazers!" chants ringing throughout the arena. But what you do see, though, are how fans and analysts react to the Blazers. Plus, you get to see an arena experience that 99% of fans will watch exclusively during their time as an NBA fan. This was easily one of my best experiences on the road thus far.</p>
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<p>A Trail Blazer victory may have had a little to do with that.</p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2014/12/14/7390781/portland-trail-blazers-indiana-pacers-lamarcus-aldridgeSam Tongue2014-12-13T21:50:33-08:002014-12-13T21:50:33-08:00Batum, Bench Step in for Win
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<figcaption>Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>In Opposite Night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Portland's stars come out flat and uninspired. But the Blazers hiding in the weeds were enough to take down the Pacers for a victory in the final game of this long road stretch. </p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> finished off the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.indycornrows.com/">Indiana Pacers</a> 95-85 tonight, completing their 5-game road trip with a perfectly passable 3-2 record. Portland's record now stands at 18-6, 8-4 away from home.</p>
<p>For fans of our usual detailed recap, we're going to take a break and be slightly less detailed tonight. I couldn't get to the game until hours after it was completed and impressions of Game Flow and such have a shelf life which is now expired. So let's just get to the heart of it.</p>
<p>The Pacers started out trying to probe Portland's defense using <span>Roy Hibbert</span> matched up against <span>Robin Lopez</span>. Hibbert found enough early success that the strategy might have worked had his teammates been able to hit a bucket around him. Sadly for Indiana, this wasn't the case. They forged a 23-point quarter out of an opportunity for 30+.</p>
<p>That opportunity was there because Portland's starters looked like they were playing the 5th game of a 5-game road swing after having lost an emotional and hard-fought contest the night before. You don't notice how little the Blazers walk the ball down the court until they actually start walking the ball down the court. It just looks weird. But Portland did in the first period. Other signs of fatigue included jumpers falling short, not closing out on shooters, and a lack of quality drives. In an exact inversion of recent games, <span>Nicolas Batum</span> was the only starter with energy and impact in the first shift of the evening.</p>
<p>That inversion would continue in spades as the first period melted into the second. All of those bench players who laid eggs last night against Chicago were making omelettes tonight. Portland's reserves came in crisp, energetic, played quickly, and did everything the starters didn't. Like a one-gear bike, the Pacers kept plodding along. Meanwhile Portland's bench moped zoomed by them. When the starters returned they picked up the second unit's energy. <span>Wesley Matthews</span> hit outside. <span>Damian Lillard</span> and Robin Lopez scored in the lane. The Blazers posted a 36-15 advantage in the second period. They led 58-38 at halftime and never really looked back. Indy made a run in the late third and early fourth as the Blazers' energy flagged again but they had too much ground to cover and missed way too many open shots. Portland's 10-point win may not have been the prettiest of the season but it was serviceable, made more impressive by the lesser-known players standing up for the big wheels for a change.</p>
<p><span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> finished the evening 8-23 from the field, Damian Lillard 7-22, Wesley Matthews 4-11. But Nicolas Batum picked up the slack with 6-11 shooting and the bench shot 11-18 overall. (By comparison Indy's bench fired 6-21.) Batum racked up 14 points and 5 assists, <span>Chris Kaman</span> 10 points and 6 rebounds, <span>Steve Blake</span> 8 points and 7 assists.</p>
<p>This kind of win once again highlights the texture of this year's roster. We're used to the Blazers living or dying with the performance of 1 or 2 players. If Plan A isn't going right, the evening will be a struggle. This year the opponent peels back one layer only to reveal another...if not quite as effective at least enough to give them a fight. On a tough night for the team by most standards, Robin Lopez and <span>Joel Freeland</span> and <span>Allen Crabbe</span> combined for 14 points on perfect shooting with 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists, and only 1 turnover. Those were your lowest-minute starters and bench players and they lifted the team tonight.</p>
<p>Granted, the Pacers are challenged offensively and contributed mightily to their own demise. But nobody would have blamed the Blazers a bit had they mailed in this game citing fatigue. A few guys may have felt that way, but a half-dozen others propped them up. That's teamwork.</p>
<p>Long story short, there's reason to celebrate this win beyond just the tick mark in the win column. The Blazers won in semi-unusual fashion and revealed something about their character while doing so. It was a good night in Indianapolis. Let's see if they're now ready for a return home to face last year's nemesis, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">San Antonio Spurs</a>.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400578634">Boxscore</a></p>
<p>Our <a target="_blank" href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2014/12/13/7388461/blazers-vs-pacers-final-score-portland-holds-off-indiana">Instant Recap</a> has more info about this game plus reaction from around the web.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.indycornrows.com/">Indy Cornrows</a> will give you the Pacers' side of the story.</p>
<p>Our next Blazer's Edge podcast with Phil Naessens comes out Tuesday. If you have a question to submit, you can call it into voicemail at 234-738-3394. We'll try to answer it during the show.</p>
<p>You can help underprivileged youth see Portland's March 30th game against the <a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Phoenix Suns</a> by contributing tickets to Blazer's Edge Night. The cost of a ticket is low and the joy it brings into the life of a child who otherwise wouldn't get to see a game is immeasurable. We're looking to send over 1000 kids this year. You can find all the details <a target="_blank" href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2014/10/28/7085127/blazers-edge-night-2015-announced">here</a>. Please help with a ticket or two (or 10!) if you can.</p>
<p>--Dave blazersub@gmail.com / <a href="https://twitter.com/davedeckard" target="_blank">@DaveDeckard</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/blazersedge" target="_blank">@Blazersedge</a></p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2014/12/13/7389217/portland-trail-blazers-vs-indiana-pacers-nicolas-batum-roy-hibbertDave Deckard2014-12-13T18:15:16-08:002014-12-13T18:15:16-08:00Blazers End Road Trip 3-2; Finish Off Pacers
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<p>Portland led by as many as 29, and returns to the Rose City ready to face San Antonio on Monday.</p> <p>Portland needed to close their five game road trip with a win with San Antonio coming to town on Monday. They did that and more.</p>
<p><span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> had 19 points and 14 rebounds, <span>Damian Lillard</span> had 18, and the Blazers managed to fight off the <a href="https://www.indycornrows.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Indiana Pacers</a> 95-85 Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The win snapped a two game losing streak, and ended Portland's five game road trip with a 3-2 record.</p>
<p>The two stars from the night before started ice cold for the Blazers, as Lillard and Aldridge started 2-for-14 from the field. The slack was picked up by <span>Nicolas Batum</span>, who scored seven in the quarter, grabbed two rebounds and added two steals. Indiana grabbed a lead near the end of the quarter on drives by <span>Rodney Stuckey</span>, and led by one after one.</p>
<p>In the second, the Blazers took off so hard, the aftershocks were felt in Chicago. The team hit 10 of their first 11 shots, including two threes from <span>Wesley Matthews</span>. The first three placed him alone in second place for three-point shots made in <a href="https://www.blazersedge.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Portland Trail Blazers</a> history, passing <span>Damon Stoudamire</span>. The bench went ballistic, with <span>Steve Blake</span> leading the charge. Blake scored six in the period, added six assists, and forced a key steal. Overall, the bench scored 20 in the first half after scoring just 15 all game versus Chicago. Lillard hit 3-of-5 shots in the period, and the Blazers went into halftime leading by 20.</p>
<p>The Blazers expanded their lead to as many as 29 in the third quarter with Aldridge scored 11 in the period, but Indiana started getting shots to fall behind <span>C.J. Watson</span> and <span>David West</span>. Some bad mistakes by Portland near the end of the period resulted in a 7-0 Pacer run, and they closed to within 16 after three.</p>
<p>Both teams decided that winning the game was optional if the first six minutes of the fourth was any indication. Portland shot 1-of-9, Indiana shot 2-of-10, and the teams combined for nine turnovers. Portland second basket of the quarter came off a bizarre tip by <span>Robin Lopez</span> on a shot by Batum that ricocheted well over the rim before somehow going in. Watson attempted to lead the Pacers back, getting them as close as six, but Aldridge and Lillard countered to hold serve.</p>
<p><span>Chris Kaman</span> had 10 off the bench, and Steve Blake finished with eight points and seven assists.</p>
<p><a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400578634">BOX SCORE</a></p>
<p align="center"><b>Gameday Thread Comments of the Night</b></p>
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<p>Things work so much better when Nic plays like this.<br>by <b>nxtd <br><br></b>And when we hit some threes early to open up the offense<br>by <b>pklym</b></p>
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<p>The Pacers are the opposite of King Midas. Every game they touch, they make it ugly. But hey, Blazers win and avoid the three game losing streak! Yay for that. Now let’s get some well earned rest.<br>by <b>Showtime14</b></p>
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<p><b>Post-Game Reaction</b></p>
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<p>The Trail Blazers have now held their opponents to 90 points or fewer in 10 games this season, most in the NBA.</p>
— Trail Blazers PR (@TrailBlazersPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrailBlazersPR/status/543951497990381568">December 14, 2014</a>
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<p>Asked if was happy to get the road trip over, Lopez said: "I miss my cat" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Blazers?src=hash">#Blazers</a></p>
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/JabariJYoung/status/543956299101503488">December 14, 2014</a>
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<p>. <a href="https://twitter.com/wessywes2">@wessywes2</a> said he was unaware that he had past Damon Stoudamire for second in franchise history in made 3s</p>
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) <a href="https://twitter.com/CHold/status/543957639609061376">December 14, 2014</a>
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<p>Matthews called this game "most important" of the season for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Blazers?src=hash">#Blazers</a> ...didn't want to drop 3 straight before returning home</p>
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/JabariJYoung/status/543957725345234944">December 14, 2014</a>
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<p>Blazer bench was a +24 in 67 minutes tonight. Not always about scoring or getting stops. Production is what matters most.</p>
— Mike Barrett (@blazermb) <a href="https://twitter.com/blazermb/status/543960597185171456">December 14, 2014</a>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/SteveBlake5">@SteveBlake5</a> now has 104 assists off the bench this season. He's #1 the NBA in that category. Had 7 tonight.</p>
— Mike Barrett (@blazermb) <a href="https://twitter.com/blazermb/status/543962142383562752">December 14, 2014</a>
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<p>Repost from my guy @jashinmizuho, he does some awesome NBA work! Great win tonight! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NeverSayDie?src=hash">#NeverSayDie</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPCITY?src=hash">#RIPCITY</a> <a href="http://t.co/MpxzEqDVJf">pic.twitter.com/MpxzEqDVJf</a></p>
— Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolopez42/status/543962490737262592">December 14, 2014</a>
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<p>First time <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Blazers?src=hash">#Blazers</a> swept the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pacers?src=hash">#Pacers</a> since the 2009-10 season</p>— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/JabariJYoung/status/543963207300554752">December 14, 2014</a>
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https://www.blazersedge.com/2014/12/13/7388461/blazers-vs-pacers-final-score-portland-holds-off-indianaRyanASterling2014-12-13T14:30:02-08:002014-12-13T14:30:02-08:00Chat: The Long Road Trip Ends in Indiana!
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<div class="read-more">Tip-off: <b>4:00 pm</b><br>Watch: <b>CSN NW | League Pass<br></b>Listen: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/broadband/alp_schedule.html">NBA Audio League Pass</a> <b>620am</b><br> Links: <a href="http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/blazers.pdf" target="new">Media Notes</a> <a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2013/10/29/5044302/the-2013-guide-to-watching-the-blazers-on-tv-and-online" target="new">Viewing Guide</a>
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<p>Welcome to the Gameday Open Thread at Blazer’s Edge! This is a place to hang out and enjoy tonight’s festivities with your fellow fans. Treat it as if you’re watching a game at the local watering hole, but hopefully without the language. Expect some disagreements, and a fair amount of changing emotions. But we'll get through it together.</p>
<p><b>Injury update: </b>For the Blazers, <b>CJ McCollum</b> is out with a broken finger.</p>
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<p>The usual Gameday Thread rules apply:</p>
<p>1. No swearing<br>2. No pictures<br>3. No discussion of unlicensed Internet streaming<br>4. Be cool to each other!</p>
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<p>Hang out and enjoy the game! -- Tim</p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2014/12/13/7338713/gameday-thread-portland-trail-blazers-vs-indiana-pacersTimmay!2014-12-12T20:04:42-08:002014-12-12T20:04:42-08:00Blazers vs. Pacers Preview
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<p>The Blazers play the Indiana Pacers tonight in the second half of a back-to-back for both teams.</p> <p align="center"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> (17-6) vs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.indycornrows.com/">Indiana Pacers</a> (7-16)<br>Saturday, December 13<br>Bankers Life Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, IN | 4:00 p.m. PST | Local TV/Radio: CSNNWHD; 620 AM<br>Out for the Blazers: <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>C.J. McCollum</span> </span>| Out for the Pacers: <span>Ian Mahinmi</span>, <span>George Hill</span>, <span>Paul George</span>, <span>C.J. Miles</span> (day-to-day)<br>SBN Affiliate: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.indycornrows.com/">Indy Cornrows</a> | <a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2014/10/28/7082097/portland-trail-blazers-2014-15-season-preview-tv-viewing-guide" target="_blank">Timmay's Viewing Guide</a> | <a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2014/10/28/7085127/blazers-edge-night-2015-announced" target="_blank">Blazer's Edge Night</a></p>
<p align="left">The Blazers land in Indiana today for a 4:00 p.m. bout with the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Both teams are playing on the second half of a back-to-back tonight, Portland losing in Chicago yesterday and the Pacers dropping a game in Toronto.</p>
<p align="left">Indiana has lost seven straight, including an <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400578566">88-82 loss</a> to Portland just nine days back.</p>
<p align="left">The Pacers have only managed to score 94 points a game the last five, shooting 41.6 percent from the floor and 29.7 percent from deep. Their ball movement has been mediocre, they're prone to turning the ball over at times and don't draw many free throws. No one on the team is averaging more than small forward C.J. Miles' 14.6 points per contest the last five outings.</p>
<p align="left">Miles <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/543585493758509057">left last night's game against the Raptors with a bruised left knee</a> and didn't return, his status for today's matchup with the Blazers still uncertain. In a stroke of bad luck, this came just 13 minutes into his first game <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indystar.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnba%2Fpacers%2F2014%2F12%2F12%2Findiana-pacers-revamp-starting-lineup-vs-toronto-raptors%2F20327773%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blazersedge.com%2F2014%2F12%2F12%2F7385925%2Fportland-trail-blazers-vs-indiana-pacers-preview" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">since joining the starting lineup</a> after coach <span>Frank Vogel</span> opted to give Miles the nod.</p>
<p align="left">It's not as if the Pacers aren't used to operating with a patch-work lineup this year; Vogel has used seven different starting lineups in 23 games and only forwards <span>Solomon Hill</span>, <span>Chris Copeland</span> and <span>Luis Scola</span> have played in every game.</p>
<p align="left">Guard Rodney Stuckey is probably Indiana's most potent offensive weapon with Miles banged up. He shoots about a dozen shots a game, driving to the rim for half his attempts where he's a bit of an inconsistent finisher. His midrange jumper isn't reliable right now either, and his best shot the last five games has been the three-pointer, which he's hit at a 44.4 percent rate in that span. Stuckey doesn't go with the outside shot as often as he should, though, getting up under two threes a night recently. The last time the Blazers and Pacers played a week-and-a-half ago, Stuckey led Indiana in scoring with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting.</p>
<p align="left">Power forward <span>David West</span>, mostly a jumpshooter, hasn't been able to connect on many of his shots lately, but he did make six of his 13 attempts against Portland nine days ago and went 6-for-9 last night in Toronto. Scola, his backup, had a relatively quiet night against the Blazers, going 4-of-8 from the field. He's made half his shots the last couple weeks, and operates pretty well in the paint for a power forward who takes a decent amount of his shots from the midrange.</p>
<p align="left">Center Roy Hibbert went just 2-for-7 from the field last night against Toronto and was 4-of-10 against Portland last week, his shots not falling very well recently. Copeland, Hill and guard <span>C.J. Watson</span> have all been worse from the field, none of them shooting over 34.1 percent the last five games. The trio's outside shooting has been abysmal, too, as they've combined to shoot 27.5 percent from deep in that span, all shooting 2.6 or more three-pointers a night.</p>
<p align="left">Backup guard <span>Donald Sloan</span> has been pretty bad in limited attempts off the bench. Forward Lavoy Allen has made almost three-quarters of his shots the last five games but gets up fewer than five a night, mostly against reserves. Forward Damjan Rudez is shooting well but similarly to Allen, doesn't put up a ton of attempts.</p>
<p align="left">Indiana, once famed for its defense, has put up pretty average stats the last several weeks and allowed Toronto to hit 38.5 percent of its threes last night while scoring 50 points in the paint. Otherwise, the Pacers' defense wasn't particularly bad, though it wasn't good, either. On Dec. 4 in Portland, they held the Blazers to 39.8 percent shooting from the field and a dreadful 19 percent from deep, muddying up the game and losing mainly because of the ineptitude of their own offense and Portland's solid defense.</p>
<p align="left">The Blazers, for the most part, have turned in lackluster performances the last several outings, losing two in a row to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.canishoopus.com/">Timberwolves</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Bulls</a> earlier this week. They had a solid start to last night's game, with power forward <span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> dropping 21 points in the first quarter, but Chicago stormed back in the second period and never relinquished the lead behind 31 points from point guard <span>Derrick Rose</span>.</p>
<p align="left">Portland's offense has been lagging behind its defense lately as the Blazers sit in the bottom-third of the league in average points scored, field goal percentage and three-point shooting percentage the last five games. Things may be moving in a positive direction, though, as they made 48.9 percent of their shots and half of their threes in Chicago.</p>
<p align="left">The defense that has carried Portland recently has begun to sag a bit. Though the Blazers have been able to run teams off the three-point line lately, they haven't defended inside the arc effectively. The Bulls made just 5-of-15 three-pointers last night, but hit half their overall shots and registered 115 points, 60 of them coming in the paint.</p>
<p align="left">Aldridge led the team out of the gate, scoring 35 points on 15-for-24 shooting. He's been consistently shooting about 42 percent from the floor the last couple weeks, so a big night in Chicago should be encouraging. He struggled last time against the Pacers, shooting 21 shots but making just seven of them for 18 total points.</p>
<p align="left">Point guard <span>Damian Lillard</span> also dropped 35 on the Bulls, going 13-of-21 from the field and 7-for-11 from deep, showing signs of life from beyond the arc after struggling with his outside shot for several games. Against the Pacers nine days ago he scored a game-high 23 points.</p>
<p align="left">Guard Wesley Matthews continues to have up-and-down outings, ending with 10 points against Chicago on 4-for-8 shooting from the field. He's made half his field goals lately, but his outside shooting has been inconsistent. Forward Nicolas Batum still hasn't gotten back on track and is in the midst of a shooting slump, but he was a bit more aggressive last night, putting up 12 shots and bringing in five assists. Batum got up 13 attempts last time the Blazers played Indiana, so he may be looking for his own again tonight.</p>
<p align="left">Centers Robin Lopez and <span>Chris Kaman</span> didn't shoot very well against the Pacers nine days back and combined to go 3-of-12 from the floor last night. Neither has been able to score consistently for several games after both started out the season as key role players in the offense.</p>
<p align="left">At this point, coach <span>Terry Stotts</span> knows what he's going to get from backup guards <span>Allen Crabbe</span> and <span>Steve Blake</span>: solid shooting in limited attempts while keeping the offense moving, along with solid effort on defense. The same can be said for reserve big man <span>Joel Freeland</span>, who usually plays limited minutes but saw even fewer last night in Chicago, with forward/center <span>Meyers Leonard</span> getting some run. If the third-year player's performance against the Bulls last night was any indication, though, Stotts will likely be giving that time back Freeland or seeing if little-used backup forwards <span>Dorell Wright</span> or <span>Thomas Robinson</span> are worth a look.</p>
<p align="left">The Blazers again got crushed on the glass last night after struggling against Minnesota Wednesday. Indiana is one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the NBA and allowed just five offensive boards to the Blazers the last time they met. If Portland couldn't handle an under-manned Timberwolves team three nights ago and a Bulls team without big man <span>Joakim Noah</span> last night, they're sure to struggle against the Pacers' frontcourt tonight if the effort isn't improved.</p>
<p align="left">Indiana hasn't won in seven games, played last night in Toronto and will likely be without Miles tonight, its most effective offensive player. Lillard and Aldridge turned in two sterling offensive performances last night, but were mostly left hanging by the supporting cast. If Matthews or Batum can also get their offensive game to click, the pacers are a beatable team, even at home. Still, Portland has to improve its rebounding to stand a chance against an Indiana team that, at 7-16 for the season, sits just three games outside of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.</p>
<p>-- Chris Lucia | bedgecast@gmail.com | <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ChrisLucia_BE" style="background-color: #ffffff;">Twitter</a></p>
<p><i>Sam Tongue's Key Matchup:</i></p>
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https://www.blazersedge.com/2014/12/12/7385925/portland-trail-blazers-vs-indiana-pacers-previewChris Lucia