Gordon scores 10 in win; Ayton struggles in loss
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This past summer, Bahamian professional basketball players DeAndre Ayton and Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield teamed up and played for The Bahamas. On Monday night, they were on separate teams and Ayton and the Portland Trail Blazers (5-12) took down Hield and the Indiana Pacers (9-7),114-110, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Ayton came away a double-double, matching a season-high 22 points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds in 39 minutes on the floor. He was efficient from the field making nine of his 13 shot attempts, finishing at a 69.2 percent clip. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, and he also had an assist and a steal.
Both teams shot the ball fairly well from the field as the Pacers were at 48 percent and Blazers finished at 47 percent.
The game was tied at 83 at the start of the fourth quarter, setting up for a dramatic finish. The Blazers broke that tie on a three-point shot to go up 86-83 at the 11:31 mark. After the Pacers went up 89-88 at the 9:51 mark, Ayton sank two free throws for his 19th and 20th points of the night, giving the Blazers a 90-89 lead at the 9:30 mark.
The game was tied at 94 points with 7:12 left, and the Blazers finished strong. Ayton scored his final points of the night from the free throw line as he hit two free shots with 2:54 left in the game to give his team a 109-103 lead. The Blazers kept the lead the rest of the way.
The Pacers led 34-30 at the end of the first quarter, but a 35-26 second-quarter advantage gave the Blazers a 65-60 lead at the half.
It has been a tough season for the Blazers’ big man scoring-wise as he is averaging 13.3 points per game in 16 appearances. He is averaging his best rebounds per game in three seasons at 11.1 boards per game while shooting 59.3 percent from the field. For the first time in his career, he is averaging over one steal per game at 1.4 per game.
Hield has been featured in 16 contests this season and started in four of those contests. He is averaging 13.6 points per game this season while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. He is averaging 3.1 made three-pointers this season at a 41.7 shooting percentage clip.
Ayton and the Blazers return to action tomorrow when they head to Cleveland, Ohio, to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers (9-8) at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. That game gets underway at 7 p.m.
Hield and the Pacers will look to bounce back against the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, tomorrow at 7.30 p.m. It will be carried live on NBA TV.