A dominant second quarter fueled the Indiana Pacers to an impressive win over the Portland Trail Blazers, snapping an 11-game losing streak at the Moda Center and getting them to 2-1 on their road trip. The Pacers outscored Portland 33-10 in the quarter, turning up the defensive intensity to another level, holding the Blazers to 4-19 shooting and capitalizing off of stops and blocks.
Despite taking a 23-point lead into the break, the Pacers weren’t out of the woods yet. C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard willed Portland back into the game, helping the Blazers to seven made threes in the quarter to cut the lead in half heading into the fourth.