INDIANAPOLIS — Pascal Siakam equaled his season-high by scoring 29 points, while Tyrese Haliburton contributed 28 points and 10 assists as the Indiana Pacers came back from a slow start to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 121-114 on Wednesday.
Bennedict Mathurin also played a crucial role for the Pacers, recording 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Entering the final quarter, Indiana held an 11-point advantage and managed to withstand a late surge from the Trail Blazers. Haliburton scored 12 points and Siakam added nine in the closing moments to secure the Pacers’ third straight win.
Portland had a strong first half, sinking nine 3-pointers and leading by as many as 10 points in the second quarter. Mathurin was instrumental for Indiana in the second quarter, pouring in 13 points to help the Pacers tie the game at 60 by halftime.
Anfernee Simons topped Portland’s scoring with 30 points, including six from beyond the arc, while teammates Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe each added 17 points.
With this latest game, both the Pacers and Trail Blazers now stand at 1-2 in NBA Cup play.
Takeaways from the game show that for the Blazers, despite a strong start and leading for a significant part of the first half, they struggled in the second half, unable to recover from shooting inconsistencies. They did cut an 11-point deficit down to two but faltered as the Pacers pulled away. The Blazers’ road record now stands at 3-8.
On the other hand, while the Pacers had some defensive issues early on, they managed to find their offensive groove in the second half. The reliable trio of Siakam, Mathurin, and Haliburton alternated in scoring, showing a consistent ability to make crucial plays as Indiana improved to a solid 7-2 at home.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Indiana was ahead by just three points. Siakam hit a 3-pointer and followed that with a jumper from 9 feet out, giving the Pacers a 108-100 lead with five minutes left on the clock.
A notable statistic to highlight is that Mathurin has now scored 20 or more points in eight of the last 13 games.
Looking ahead, the Trail Blazers are set to host the Sacramento Kings on Friday, while the Pacers will welcome the Detroit Pistons on the same day.