Portland failed to make the most of their chances, coming up short 116-109 against Indiana in today's contest. "They got a gift, no question in my mind," grumbled Portland coach Bob. "We outplayed them today, but just couldn't come up with the big plays when we were threatening to score. I just can't wait until the rematch; we'll show them who's really the best."

Indiana coach Coach Hitch saw things a little differently. "I'm proud of our defensive effort today. They avoided giving up the big plays, and really came through in the key situations. Bob may blame his offense, but they'd have been able to score if they didn't have good opposition."

Indiana was led by Wade (25 points, 0 assists, 2 blocks), Paquette (18 points, 5 blocks), Mack (8 points, a steal). Portland was led by Smith (21 points, 13 assists, 2 steals), Jackson (29 points, 0 assists, 2 steals, 5 blocks), Kimbell (27 points, 3 assists).

Indiana stand at 1-1. They move up to #2 in the Central and move up to #5 overall in the Eastern Conference. Portland stand at 1-1 and 1-1 at home. They move down to #3 in the Northwest and drop to #9 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Indiana* roster Portland roster