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Game Preview: Pacers vs Trail Blazers

Last Updated: Friday, Dec. 9 at 11:50 PM

Matchup

After dropping the final game of their West Coast road trip, the Pacers have little time to stew over the loss as they face a Portland team that topped them just one week ago.

Saturday night's game, however, is about more than just two NBA teams. The Pacers will spend the evening honoring the legendary Pacers teams of the 1970s, an era of Pacers basketball that brought three ABA Championships to Indiana.

All fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead of either George McGinnis or Mel Daniels. A number former players from the era will be either in attendance or represented by a family member.

On the court, the Pacers are looking to shake off their 2-3 road trip, and climb back at .500. However, a familiar trend has emerged for Indiana — an inability to break through the barrier and start stacking wins. The Pacers are now 0-9 this season when their record is an even .500.

As Indiana saw last week while in Portland, the Trail Blazers guard tandem is about as potent as any in the NBA. Using a full array of 3-point shots, drives to the hoop, and long-range floaters, Damian Lillard has crafted his offensive game into a complete repertoire.

It might be the case that Lillard and his running mate C.J. McCollum can't be stopped, which puts the onus on the Pacers to take away the other weapons on the floor who can strike when the defense collapses.

Wing player Maurice Harkless torched the Pacers on November 30th, hitting 9-of-14 shots for 23 points. And former Pacers combo guard Evan Turner was sharp as well, scoring 13 off the bench while handing out six assists.

On Friday night, the Pacers looked to be in good shape offensively, but couldn't stop Dallas from connecting on its 3-point shots. While the Pacers drained over 50 percent from long range, the Mavs did work in volume, hitting on 15-of-32 shots from deep.

As the Pacers prepare for a Trail Blazers team whose long-range shooting is a specialty, Indiana must ready itself to run shooters off of the 3-point line — a tough ask for a team on the second night of a back-to-back.

Projected Starters

Jeff Teague

Jeff Teague

Monta Ellis

Monta Ellis

Paul George

Paul George

Thaddeus Young

Thaddeus Young

Myles Turner

Myles Turner

Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard

C.J. McCollum

C.J. McCollum

Evan Turner

Evan Turner

Meyers Leonard

Meyers Leonard

Mason Plumlee

Mason Plumlee

Pacers: PG - Jeff Teague, SG - Monta Ellis, SF - Paul George, PF - Thaddeus Young, C - Myles Turner
Trail Blazers: PG - Damian Lillard, SG - C.J. McCollum, SF - Evan Turner, SF - Meyers Leonard, C - Mason Plumlee

Injury Report

Pacers: None

Trail Blazers: Festus Ezeli - out (left knee)

Last Meeting

November 30, 2016: In the Pacers' last game without Paul George — who was recovering from an ankle injury — Indiana fell 131-109 to the Trail Blazers on the first game of a five-game road trip.

Jeff Teague led the team in scoring with 25 points, but the Trail Blazer's offense couldn't be slowed, pouring in 73 points in the first half alone.

"We just couldn't run with them," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said after the game. "They did a good job of running their sets and moving the ball from side to side. They had a 42 point quarter, 30 point first quarter, 42 point second quarter. Really, we never established ourselves defensively against this team, and we thought it took a toll on the offensive part of the floor."

Although the Pacers offense shot better than 50 percent from the floor, Indiana simply couldn't keep pace with the torrid Portland offense, which closed out the 22-point win at the Moda Center.

Noteworthy

  • Indiana head coach Nate McMillan served as Portland’s head coach for six-plus seasons from 2005-12. McMillan finished his Portland tenure with an overall record of 266-269.
  • Trail Blazers forward Evan Turner played 27 games for Indiana after being acquired from Philadelphia during the 2013-14 season.
  • If the Trail Blazers win, it will be their third straight season sweep of the Pacers.

Basketball Day in Indiana

FOX Sports Indiana will broadcast five games — three marquee high school matchups, Butler hosting Cincinnati, and the Pacers' 1970s Decade Game against Portland — as part of 13 continuous hours of live basketball coverage. Learn More »

Tickets

Be there when the Pacers host the Trail Blazers at 7:00 PM ET. Saturday's game is also the second "Decade Game" of the season, and we'll be honoring Pacers players and staffers from the 1970s during the game. All fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead of either Hall of Famer Mel Daniels or Pacers legend George McGinnis. Find Tickets »

Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »

TV: FOX Sports Indiana/NBA TV - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Slick Leonard (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter)
Please Note: Inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Pacers radio broadcasts can be heard on 1080 AM instead of 1070.

Home Court Gift Shop Game Night Special

Select Crew Fleece - $30. Game Night Specials can be purchased in the Home Court Gift Shop or any of our souvenir stands located on all levels of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The special is also available online at PacersGear.com until midnight.

Construction Note: The Delaware St. entrance to the Virginia Ave. Parking Garage is no longer in operation due to the construction of the St. Vincent Center. To enter the Virginia Ave. Parking Garage, please use the entrance located at the intersection of E Maryland St. and S Alabama St.

In addition, the southbound lane of Delaware Street from Maryland to just south of the train bridge will be closed for the duration of the construction project.