NBA Power Rankings: The Clippers keep coming

The Pacers were able to go and pick up a road win in a difficult arena, outshooting the Utah Jazz for a 109-94 victory on Monday. A lot of teams are going to pick up a victory when they shoot 54 percent on 3-point shots, and the Pacers scored 42 points from beyond the arc to help give them the advantage over Donovan Mitchell. Victor Oladipo had an easy 28 points on 16 shots, while Al Jefferson had six points and 10 rebounds against his old team. Things weren’t so easy for them on the road in Portland, losing 100-86, done in by some excellent defensive play by the Trail Blazers. The Pacers saw the Trail Blazers go on a 21-2 run in the third and fourth quarter, and weren’t able to handle the Trail Blazers physicality on the glass.

The Pacers dropped the second game of their west coast back-to-back on the road against the Lakers, who got 33 points from Jordan Clarkson in a 99-86 win. Victor Oladipo had 25 points, but if you were looking for one thing to pin this loss on, look no further than the 2-of-26 performance on their 3-point shots. Darren Collison and Lance Stephenson each had one made field goal, missing 19 shots between the two of them. While it’s a game the Pacers would normally win, tired legs in January are a real thing, and it showed tonight. The Pacers got some rest, traveled to San Antonio, and took care of the Spurs, 94-86, holding LaMarcus Aldridge to 10 points, even without Myles Turner, who continues to miss time with an elbow injury. The Pacers ended their road trip with a 3-2 record, and won’t play again until Wednesday, when they face the Suns at home in Indiana.