Pacers get blown out again, this time it’s Scoot Henderson, Blazers

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Guard Scoot Henderson scored 28 points and the Trail Blazers blew out the Pacers 131-111 at the Moda Center on Sunday night.

The Pacers have lost nine straight and fell to 15-49. They are winless since the All-Star break and sit in last place in the Eastern Conference. The Trail Blazers improved to 31-34 and sit in 10th in the West, holding the last play-in spot.

Guard Jrue Holiday and forward Jerami Grant scored 21 points each for the Blazers. Guard Deni Avidja posted 18 points and eight assists. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 22 points. Center Jay Huff had 16 points. Guard Andrew Nembhard had 14 points and nine assists, forward Jarace Walker had 14 points and center Micah Potter had 13.

Here are three observations.

Pacers disintegrate in late second quarter

Second quarters have been the Pacers disaster quarter for much of this season and such was the case again on Sunday night.

The game was tied at 30 after one thanks to a 16-5 Pacers run at one point in the period. Portland was still up just 50-47 with 3:38 to go before halftime when the bottom fell out for the Pacers entirely.

The Blazers went on a 14-0 run and the Pacers didn't score a point in three minutes. Jrue Holiday accounted for six of the points in that stretch with a pair of 3-pointers and Jerami Grant got to the rim for a pair of easy layups. Andrew Nembhard finally broke the Pacers' drought with a 3-pointer but Henderson immediately answered with a 3 of his own. Aaron Nesmith scored a layup on a dish from Nembhard but then Henderson hit a 16-foot pull-up to make it a 19-5 run in the half's last 3:38. The Blazers were 7 of 9 from the floor for that stretch and won the second period 39-22, shooting 60% from the floor for the period and posting 1.37 points per possession.

Scoot Henderson had his best game of the season

Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft, hasn't found his path to stardom as easy to follow as that of the No. 1 pick in that draft, Victor Wembanyama. The former G League Ignite star has dealt with injuries and didn't get on the floor until Feb. 6 this season. Entering Sunday's action, he was averaging 11.7 points per game, but hadn't scored more than 19 points in a game and had only cracked 15 twice.

But facing the Pacers, who have had the worst defense in the NBA since the All-Star break, gave him the chance to go off for his most productive and his most efficient night of the season.

Henderson got to the rim at will, made plays in the open court and also hit outside shots, scoring 28 points on 10 of 15 shooting including 3 of 7 from 3-range. Five of his 10 field goals were layups and he hit on both of his mid-range attempts. He also dished out six assists against zero turnovers and was +26 in his 26 minutes.

T.J. McConnell ruled out with sore right hamstring

Veteran Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell left the game in the fourth quarter with a sore right hamstring and didn't return. McConnell has been dealing with hamstring injuries since the preseason, so it might not be too much of a reason to concern but it does make it seem unlikely that he'll play in Tuesday's game in Sacramento.

McConnell scored six points on 2 of 7 shooting and recorded three assists in 17 minutes.

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Blazers: Scoot Henderson lights up Indiana