The Portland Trail Blazers looks sluggish and apart on Thursday, struggling on both sides of the court on its way to a 111-87 route among the Indiana Pacers in the Moda Center.
The night after a record performance from outside the arc, Portland were able to shoot only a meager 36% off the floor (just 30% from depth) and their 87 points are by far the lowest production of the season.
But the real disappointment of the evening came halfway through the third quarter when Jusuf Nurkic left the game with what was later announced as a broken right wrist, which apparently suffered after defending the ball, although the exact moment remains to be determined word. Details on the extent of the interruption and an idea of recovery time will appear soon, but it’s undoubtedly a huge blow for a team that expects to compete deep in the playoffs.
From the start it should have been clear that thunderstorms were brewing. If we were playing the second night of a rugby player, and especially the sequel to Wednesday against the Kings where Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum had to fight tooth and nail together for 85 minutes, you would have to wonder if fatigue would be a factor tonight . At least that did not seem to be the case early on, as the two teams came to a standstill in the fist quarter and put off a tense journey into the ulcer.
It quickly became anything but. Terry Stotts decided to give his most valuable players a break, and opened the second period with a series of Anfernee Simons, Gary Trent Jr., Rodney Hood, Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter, who played Lillard and McCollum for almost five minutes. rode on the pines. In those five minutes, the Blazers were outscored 12-2 when Doug McDermott set fire to the Pacers from the bench. The second unit found no offensive rhythm at all, and decided to make the disputed Carmelo Anthony isolation and Hail Mary three attempts. By the time McCollum and later Lillard returned with 4:57 left in the half, Indiana had maintained a 12-point lead and appeared to be in full control.
From there, things went from bad to worse. Portland, who were among the league leaders to take care of the basketball, could not take care of the rock if it was their mother, stripping 7 times in the first half and turning the ball around 10 times while balancing Pacer’s lead. as many as 25 points. Domantas Sabonis gave fans flashbacks of his father and put on a show in the mail en route to 23 points, 15 boards and 5 assistants.
The Blazers made a few runs in the second half to make things look at least respectful and drew late in the third quarter to as late as 11, but another roaring return was just in it.
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What’s next
The Blazers get a Friday before they host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night at 7pm in the Pacific.