The Portland Trail Blazers return house from their Road Trip of Doom to face the Indiana Pacers tonight at 6pm
The Pacers at the moment sit useless final within the Eastern Conference standings, with a document of 15-48. Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles tear, sustained in final 12 months’s Finals, revealed his significance to the fundamental functioning of Indiana. Their sharp and sudden decline practically warrants a retroactive MVP for Haliburton, who was apparently good for 50 wins all by his lonesome.
Beyond Haliburton, the Pacers have suffered important accidents to many key rotation gamers. Obi Toppin just lately returned from a 56-game absence resulting from a stress fracture in his proper foot. Aaron Nesmith has endured constant decrease physique trauma all season, resulting in poor performances when wholesome. That mentioned, gifted gamers like Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard have performed practically the complete season. It’s puzzling, then, how the Pacers may be this dangerous.
Haliburton occupied an fascinating function as a non-heliocentric offensive engine. Whereas the James Harden’s and Luka Doncic’s of the world require the ball of their palms to attain 1 billion factors per sport, Haliburton was answerable for the functioning of the staff with out demanding fixed on-ball duties. Without him, the Pacers have misplaced their blazing quick, transition-oriented id that made them so lethal within the playoffs. Their spectacular depth of expertise, too, has begun to look awfully shallow.
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Pacers have gone from some of the prolific and environment friendly transition offenses within the league in 2024-2025, to a really, very dangerous transition offense in 2025-2026. They nonetheless try probably the most three pointers within the NBA, nevertheless their effectiveness from past the arc has cratered. They lack a transparent construction or id, and their wins have come on the backs of star performances from their remaining gifted gamers. The Blazers, as soon as once more, have a chance to steal a straightforward win at house. There’s no manner that I jinxed them with that one.
We have entered the canine days of the NBA season. The Blazers are 4-6 of their final 10 video games, and the losses have been ugly. To summarize, the Blazers go for lengthy durations with zero “oomph.” This manifests in a gradual, stagnant offense the place gamers who possibly shouldn’t be trying threes try tons and many threes. The accidents to Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija have sucked the dynamism from the Blazers’ offense, demanding their vets to step up and carry the staff’s offensive burden.
Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant have been the focus of the Blazers’ assault, as of late. In his final 4 contests, Holiday has averaged practically 26 factors a sport on higher than 50% from the ground. Sans a stinker in opposition to the Atlanta Hawks, Grant has posted equally spectacular averages, placing up 24 factors an evening. He additionally had 9 rebounds in opposition to the Grizzlies. Someone test the temperature in Hell.
Late within the sport, although, the vets haven’t possessed the requisite firepower to hold the Blazers throughout the end line. Against the Houston Rockets, each Holiday and Grant ran out of juice. Thus, the entire staff faltered, scoring solely 17 factors within the fourth. To win basketball video games, they want extra offense from somebody. Scoot Henderson has determined that he gained’t be stepping as much as fill that function. Donovan Clingan continues to be superior, however is proscribed in his offensive output. The remaining gamers on the roster should not have the self-creation means to hold the remaining load, leaving the staff to rely on decent-to-good three level capturing to remain alive within the long-run. In different phrases: Deni Avdija, please come again.
Expect a bizarre one. The Pacers usually are not good. The Blazers, as of late, are additionally not good. Like a sloth with out his retainer, this sport will doubtless be a gradual, painful grind.
Portland Trail Blazers (30-34) vs. Indiana Pacers (15-48) – Sun. Mar 8 – 6pm Pacific
How to look at through antenna or cable: See your choices on the Rip City Television Network.
How to look at through streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass or NBA TV in all places else.
Trail Blazers Injuries: Deni Avdija, Jayson Kent, Caleb Love, Kris Murray, Yang Hansen, Chris Youngblood (Questionable); Damian Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe (Out).
Pacers Injuries: Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard (Questionable); Johnny Furphy, Tyrese Haliburton, Ivica Zubac (Out).
Scoot Henderson. This is an ideal “get right” sport for Scoot, who has been very fallacious, as of late. His struggles have clearly morphed from “his shooting has fallen off” to “his three point shooting may require therapy.” In different phrases, Scoot is in his personal head. His offensive output is a legal responsibility. Over his final 5 video games, he has gone 3-25 from three. Not nice, Bob! Against the Pacers, although, who’s solely notable rim protector is reverse dunk aficionado Jay Huff, Scoot could have a neater time attending to the rim and opening up the remainder of his offensive sport.
Jay Huff. Jay Huff is superior. He will be the first participant with a compulsive requirement to dunk the ball backwards. The closing stretch of the NBA is brutal, with gamers clearly affected by fatigue and daydreaming of Cabo San Lucas. Jay Huff is a beacon of sunshine in these darkish occasions, since you by no means know when he’s going to placed on a random show of superior athleticism. His means to stretch the ground with some regularity could give Donovan Clingan matches, nevertheless his Jerami Grant-esque rebound numbers imply Clingan undoubtedly has the benefit within the matchup.
