The Portland Trail Blazers and the Indiana Pacers have been two of the best teams in the NBA this season and they will be playing on ESPN Friday at 7 pm from Bankers Life Fieldhouse and comes as the two teams are in the top parts of the east and west and the matchup could be a potential finals preview depending on how things shake out.
The Pacers have been the most impressive team in the eastern conference this season and the Blazers have been the most surprising team out west and that could make for a very exciting game on Friday. The Pacers come into the matchup first in the east ahead of the Miami Heat and they are looking like the only real challenger to the team in the conference and they are coming into the game after a close win on the road against the Hawks and they are also looking to rebound after their second loss at home this season to the Suns and they next play on the road against the Orlando Magic.
Both teams have 35 wins or more and the Pacers come into the game ranked first overall in defense this season by points allowed and they are allowing just 90 points per game and David West comes into the matchup on Friday after putting in 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead the team. Paul George is an all-star starter this season with 22.7 points per game to lead the team and Roy Hibbert also made the squad and now they are looking to continue their strong play against one of the top teams in the west and one of their All-Star snubs will be missing, as Lance Stephenson will be out of the game.
The Blazers come into the game after a nice win on the road at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks and now they play against the Pacers before heading back west for a visit with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The team comes into the game with one of the best offenses in the league and they are averaging over 107 points per game and that should make for a great matchup up front on both sides with West, Hibbert and LaMarcus Aldridge, while point guard Damian Lillard also made the team and is participating in the dunk contest. The team is ranked first in offense and they will face the top ranked team on defense and the Blazers also come in third in assists per game and first in rebounding behind Aldridge.
Check here for the Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers live coverage.
