Scoot Henderson delivered his most efficient scoring performance of the season Sunday night, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 131-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Moda Center.
Henderson scored a season-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting and added six assists without committing a turnover. The second-year guard controlled the pace and consistently created scoring opportunities for Portland’s offense.
Jerami Grant and Jrue Holiday each added 21 points as the Trail Blazers produced balanced scoring across the rotation. Portland shot 51 percent from the field and built separation with strong runs in the second quarter.
The win came with a key lineup boost.
Deni Avdija returned after missing six games with a lower back injury and finished with 18 points and eight assists. The forward entered the game leading Portland in scoring at 24.4 points per game and averaging 6.6 assists.
Portland’s offense began to take control late in the first half.
Henderson either scored or assisted on 15 points during a decisive 25-7 run over the final 5:30 of the second quarter. The stretch pushed the Trail Blazers’ lead to 69-52 at halftime.
Indiana struggled to generate offense during that sequence.
The Pacers shot 2-of-11 from the field and committed three turnovers during the run, allowing Portland to capitalize in transition and through half-court execution.
Henderson was particularly effective before the break.
He recorded 19 points and five assists in the first half while shooting 7-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-4 from three-point range. Grant added 14 first-half points, while Holiday contributed 11.
Portland continued to control the game after halftime.
The Trail Blazers finished with a 53-38 rebounding advantage and scored efficiently across all four quarters. Donovan Clingan recorded 11 rebounds and three assists, while Toumani Camara also grabbed 11 boards.
Indiana, meanwhile, continued a difficult stretch.
The Pacers dropped their ninth straight game and fell to 15-49 on the season. The current skid is their third losing streak of at least eight games this year.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 22 points and five assists. Andrew Nembhard added 14 points and nine assists, while Jarace Walker also scored 14.
Jay Huff finished with 16 points and five blocks, extending his defensive impact.
Huff now has 39 games this season with at least two blocks, the most in the NBA. San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama ranks second with 37 such games after recording four blocks earlier Sunday.
Indiana also saw a defensive streak end.
Robert Williams III had his run of 18 consecutive games with at least one block snapped, which had been the longest active streak in the league.
The Trail Blazers improved to 31-34 and continue to compete for positioning in the Western Conference play-in race.
Indiana will conclude its four-game road trip Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings. Portland returns to action the same night when it hosts the Charlotte Hornets.
