Pacers Host Blazers In Anticipated Close Match Of Teams Seeking Rebound

The Indiana Pacers host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, January 6 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, two teams looking to get back on the winning track.

The Pacers saw their four-game winning stopped on Wednesday, January 4, bowing to the Philadelphia 76ers, 126-129, in overtime.

Buddy Hield led the way for Indiana with 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. That match saw six other players scoring 11 points or more.

On that same day, the Trail Blazers also lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 106-113.

Damian Lillard showed the way with 27 points, six assists, and four rebounds. Jerami Grant backed him up with 26 markers and five boards.

Heading into Friday's game, the Pacers are -1 spread favorites over the Blazers, who are at +1.

The Moneyline is -115 for the Pacers and -105 for the Trail Blazers.

Aside from holding home-court advantage, the offense of the Pacers is something the Trail Blazers need to be wary of.

Indiana is No. 10 in offense in the league with 115.8 points per game.

However, the same cannot be said for them on defense, ranking 23rd in defensive rating and 21st in points allowed.

For Portland, the Trail Blazers are humming on offense, particularly inside the paint where they are averaging over 60 points in their last three games. This is the fourth-highest mark in the NBA.

Defensively, they are 12th in the league, holding down their opponents to 112 points per game.

Against a Pacers quintet that would be dangerous if they were to find their range, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups will need to push his boys to avoid falling into a hole.

Grant is listed as questionable for the Trail Blazers against the Pacers with a quad injury.

However, Jusuf Nurkic is likely to return to action after sitting out their last assignment due to an illness.

The game will be televised via Root Sports Northwest at 7:00 PM ET with a live stream available via fuboTV.