March 6, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday (5) shoots against Houston Rockets guard Reed Shepherd (15) in the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Image The Portland Trail Blazers begin an important three-game homestand Sunday night when they take on the woeful Indiana Pacers.
The Trail Blazers sit in the final Western Conference play-in spot with 18 games remaining, but would like to try to move up the standings.
A strong finish would give Portland a chance to catch the ninth-ranked Los Angeles Clippers and possibly the eighth-ranked Golden State Warriors.
But with Portland sitting four games under .500, the current order, with the Charlotte Hornets arriving on Tuesday and the Utah Jazz on Friday, can’t contain any mistakes.
After completing a homestand, the Trail Blazers embark on a five-game road trip.
Portland just returned from a five-game road trip and finished 2-3 after losing 106-99 to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
“It’s definitely been a long journey,” Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant said. “It’s a bit difficult for us. We have a week to go when we get home. We’ll come back and try to get a win together.”
All-Star forward Deni Avdija missed the entire trip and has been sidelined for his sixth straight game due to persistent back problems. He is listed as unavailable for Sunday’s game.
Grant scored 21 points and Jrue Holiday added 20 points and 10 assists against the Rockets.
Portland led 82-77 in the final quarter, then 29-17 in the final quarter.
“The guys competed and played hard,” Trail Blazers interim coach Thiago Splitter said. “We got our chance at the end, but in the end we have to take it.”
Portland made just 7 of 21 shots in the fourth quarter, while Houston made 10 of 15.
Grant could feel the game fading away.
“I thought we played solid for most of the game,” Grant said of his team’s play. “We relaxed towards the end. They started doing the hard work.”
Indiana has lost eight straight games, including a 128-117 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
The Pacers trailed by 24 points in the fourth quarter before closing the gap in the final minute.
Still, Indiana has dropped an average of 19.6 points over its last five games. Sunday’s contest is the third of a four-game road trip.
“This is a tough trip,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We are away from home. These are all good teams. Portland is another good team so we have to be ready.”
Indiana has allowed more than 125 points in each of its last seven games, which is a huge surprise to Carlisle.
“We have to be able to continue to pay attention to detail on both ends,” Carlisle said. “…it’s hard to win when you play from behind every game.”
Of course, the Pacers have been in deficit all season since star point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last June.
Indiana also has yet to see big man Ivica Zubac (ankle) on the court after acquiring him from the Clippers in the deadline deal that sent Benedict Maturin to Los Angeles.
Pascal Siakam had 26 points against the Lakers and is averaging 27.5 points on 52.9% shooting in two games since missing three games with a left wrist injury.
Siakam is averaging 24.0 points, just shy of his career high of 24.2 points with the Toronto Raptors in 2022-23.
The Trail Blazers have won three of the last four meetings.
–Field level media
