Portland Trail Blazers (31-34) beat Indiana Pacers (15-49) 131-111 at home on Sunday, March 8. The final margin was 20 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The teams matched each other with 30 points apiece in the first quarter, leaving it level at 30. The Trail Blazers moved in front with a 39-22 second quarter, carrying a 17-point lead into halftime.
The Trail Blazers won the third 31-28 to create some separation, taking a 20-point lead into the fourth. The teams matched each other with 31 points apiece in the fourth quarter, and the Trail Blazers closed regulation with a 131-111 lead.
Why it was lopsided
The Trail Blazers grabbed 33.3% of their own misses, while the Pacers recovered 23.1%. The Trail Blazers got more from their shots, finishing at 58.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50.5% for the Pacers. The second chances kept adding up.
The Pacers did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 9.7 against 11.6. The Trail Blazers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 104 possessions per team, the Trail Blazers produced 126.3 points per 100 possessions to 107 for the Pacers.
Who stood out
Scoot Henderson was the game's biggest individual force for POR: 28 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast on 10-15 shooting. His Game Score of 27.1 led everyone. His team was +26 with him on the floor.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Trail Blazers about a 82% chance.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Trail Blazers are now 31-34, and the Pacers are 15-49. The Trail Blazers last five before this game: W-L-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.