Indiana Pacers bench struggles lead to loss vs Portland Trail Blazers in first game with Pascal Siakam

The Pacers wrapped up a back to back in Portland on Friday night

The Indiana Pacers were in Portland on Friday night to take on the Trail Blazers. It was the first game the Pacers have played with All-Star forward Pascal Siakam on the roster, so there was a buzz surrounding the game.

Extra juice was added when it was revealed that Indiana's star guard, Tyrese Haliburton, was going to be back in the lineup after missing the last five outings. Indiana had both of their stars. They were ready to roll.

Haliburton got the Pacers going by hitting a three for his team's first points. Aaron Nesmith, who also was returning from injury in this game, dropped one in soon after. The blue and gold were officially off and running.

Their next bucket was Siakam's first as a Pacer. He dribbled around a screen and wiggled free for a mid-range shot that expanded the lead. On the next possession, he tossed an assist, and he followed it up with a three-point shot. It was an impressive sequence from Indiana's new star.

Pascal Siakam's first bucket as a Pacer: pic.twitter.com/akyMEMKNKk

— Tony East (@TonyREast) January 20, 2024

The Pacers were ahead 14-13 when the first timeout of the game was called. They went on to make their first five three-point shots to open the game — their offense was humming early.

Their defense wasn't, though, and it was 17-17 after just over six minutes of play. Portland was getting a solid outing early from former Pacer Malcolm Brogdon. He reached double-digit points in the first quarter.

Indiana kept pushing offensively with their excellent shooting, which pushed them back into the lead. But they didn't hold it for long. The game went back and forth for the next few minutes, and Portland regained an advantage with about 90 seconds to go in the frame.

The Pacers bench was struggling to score. They started off 1/7 and gave the lead away. After one frame, the Blazers were ahead 34-31. Siakam topped his new team with seven points.

The second period started with strong play from the Blazers. They kept getting to the rim, and the Pacers weren't stopping them. They went up 40-33 before a timeout was called by Indiana.

The Pacers made some substitutions just after that moment, and it helped them recover. They went on a 7-0 run to tie up the game at 40 — Siakam and Myles Turner were making an impact.

But Portland answered. They recaptured their seven-point advantage moments later. They were doing well keeping the Pacers out of the restricted area while getting into the lane themselves.

The Trail Blazers kept their advantage near that number for several minutes going forward. They had an answer for everything the blue and gold threw at them. Even with the Pacers drilling threes throughout the first half, the Blazers stayed in front.

Two foul shots from Brogdon pushed the Portland lead to 10 with one minute left in the half. They had no trouble controlling the game for the first 24 minutes. At halftime, they were ahead 64-53. Jerami Grant had 20 points. Turner had 14.

The second half started off with a few buckets from Siakam to trim the lead. He showed exactly why Indiana traded for him early in the third period. He was getting whatever shot he wanted, and the lead was down to six quickly.

Indiana was moving the ball much better after the break. They were attacking the rim, cutting, and playing more of their up-tempo style. The blue and gold looked way more comfortable to start the half.

Haliburton knocked down a free throw with 7:35 to go in the third frame, and it tied the game at 71. The Pacers looked far more effective early in that period. Now, they needed to maintain it.

The Trail Blazers responded with a quick 4-0 run, but Haliburton had an answer to end it. Suddenly, it was a tight battle. The two teams were trading buckets into the middle of the quarter.

Portland gripped tightly to their small advantage as the third quarter wound down. They were making life hard on the Pacers while getting the shots that they wanted. It wasn't consistent — the Trail Blazers are a young team — but it was enough to be up by seven points after three frames.

The Blazers were ahead 88-81 at the time. Grant was up to 30 points for them while Turner and Hield each had dropped in 18 for Indiana. The Pacers had 12 minutes to figure it out.

Winning time got going with some easy points for the Trail Blazers, who went up by 11 after less than 90 seconds in the final period. Indiana needed to play with more force and tempo if they were going to win.

A short surge from the Pacers cut the lead down to four, though, and they were right back in it. They needed to maintain that level if they were going to pull off a comeback, but their bench wasn't giving them enough. They had to get their starters back in.

With 6:44 to go, Indiana's entire starting five was back in the game. They were down by 13 and were going to attempt one more push. That group had been solid despite the team's struggles to that point.

Quickly, they cut the advantage down to seven. Their best unit was playing well, but they had a big hole that they needed to get out of. With 3:36 to go, Portland was ahead 106-101.

There was a stoppage at that time, and the Blazers were the better team coming out of the break. They were able to get their lead up to nine with two minutes to go. Indiana was almost out of time.

They stuck with it and were able to cut the lead to six with about a minute to go, and the Pacers had the ball in that instant. But they committed a rough turnover on that possession, and it sealed their fate.

Despite nice games from Haliburton and Siakam, Indiana dropped Siakam's debut game in Portland 118-115. They fell to 24-18 with the defeat.

Haliburton finished with 21 points, 17 assists, and zero turnovers. Siakam had 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Turner was great with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks. None of that was enough to overcome an awful night from the Pacers bench, who were 4/24 from the field and contributed just 14 points.

Indiana will try to bounce back in Phoenix on Sunday night.

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• Pascal Siakam has been traded to the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• Tyrese Haliburton progressing and ahead of schedule with hamstring injury, still ranks first in Eastern Conference guard All-Star voting. CLICK HERE.
• James Johnson back with Indiana Pacers on 10-day contract. CLICK HERE.
• Shorthanded Indiana Pacers have no problem taking down Sacramento Kings on the road. CLICK HERE.
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