The Portland Trail Blazers returned home on Friday night to meet the Indiana Pacers. Like Portland, the Pacers have struggled through the first part of their season. They’ve had trouble defending and haven’t put together enough offensive consistency to overcome the deficit. Missing Malcolm Brogdon and TJ Warren didn’t help their cause. But the Blazers just spent the entirety of a three-game road trip losing to injured opponents. They needed this win badly.
Fortunately, they got it. Down late in the fourth period, they pressed an advantage in scoring and turnovers to squeeze out the 110-106 victory.