----- Jusuf Nurkic was lost to a fractured right wrist as the Indiana Pacers hammered the Portland Trail Blazers 111-87 Thursday night at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Jusuf Nurkic can't buy a break!
A bad Thursday night for the Trail Blazers got even worse when Jusuf Nurkic exited the gamed in the second half after suffering a fractured right wrist. The Indiana Pacers would add insult to injury with a 111-87 victory.
Malcom Brogdon scored a game-high 25 points and Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double with 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead Indiana (8-4) to their fourth win in six games.
The Pacers took control of the game with a 33-10 advantage in the second quarter. Portland never got the deficit inside of double-digits the rest of the way.
“Everybody who played in that quarter was a double-digit minus (in the) plus minus (column) except for Rodney,” Coach Terry Stotts said. “(The Pacers) scored 24 points in the paint. It was a bad quarter by everybody.
The Blazers (7-5) playing their second game in as many nights connected on just 36.8% of their field goals, were outscored 62-28 in the paint, and the Pacers scored 27 points off of 18 Blazers' turnovers.
Replays showed Nurkic swiping at the ball on a Malcolm Brogdon drive and then recoiling in pain. After Brogdon passed, Nurkic contested a dunk attempt by Myles Turner. At the next dead ball, Nurkic went straight back into the Blazers locker room.
Jusuf Nurkic is no stranger to injuries since his arrival in Portland. In March of 2017, Jusuf Nurkic missed the remainder of the regular season and the majority of the playoffs with a non-displaced fracture in his right leg. In March of 2019, Nurkic suffered a compound fracture in his left leg that would require surgery causing him to be out-of-action for one-year.
Further examination will be required before the team knows how long Nurkic will be out of action.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins are out again. Copy. Paste. Repeat.