Pascal Siakam made his Indiana
Pacers debut on Friday night, but the Portland Trail Blazers
spoiled the party by beating Indy, 118-115, at the Moda
Center.
The Blazers, who currently have
the second-worst record in the Western Conference, captured a rare
win behind big performances from veterans Jerami Grant and Malcolm
Brogdon.
Grant finished with 37 points on
14-of-28 from the field, while Brogdon filled the stat sheet with
30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Grant and Brogdon carried the
offensive load for Portland, who were without young stars Anfernee
Simons and Shaedon Sharpe in the game. Then, in the second half,
the Blazers lost 2023 No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson after he
suffered a nasal contusion. Henderson had 10 points at
halftime.
The 29-year-old Siakam, who was
traded to Indiana from the Toronto Raptors, scored 21 points on 65%
shooting from the field. Siakam’s Pacers debut coincided with
Tyrese Haliburton’s return from a hamstring injury, and the two are
starting the process of developing chemistry and learning to play
together.
Haliburton, who played for the
first time since Jan. 2, racked up 21 points and 17 assists with 0
turnovers. This marked his sixth career 20+ point, 15+ assist game
with no turnovers — the most in NBA history.
Indiana’s stars played well, as
Myles Turner also contributed 29 points and 12 rebounds with 6
triples, including one to cut the lead down to 3 points. However,
the Pacers just could not get it done at the end with their
comeback being a little too late.
The Pacers are now 24-18 (tied
for the sixth-best record in the East) and will head to Phoenix to
face the Suns and try to get their first win of the Siakam
era.
