Since the start of the season, Victor Oladipo has been on a tear, playing at a very high level for his new team, the Indiana Pacers. A former Hoosier, the 25-year-old is proving that he is one of the better guards in the league today and that he can bring a lot of success to the team. However, on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers, Jusuf Nurkic made his presence felt to Oladipo and showed that he is up to the task of stopping the Pacers guard on offense.
The former second overall pick in the 2013 draft drove hard to the basket but he saw his shot get blocked by the Bosnian Beast. Nurkic then stared him down and he had a few words for his opponent, which Oladipo did not appreciate at all, leading to a push he gave Nurkic using his forearm.
Nurkić with the super staredown 😳 pic.twitter.com/i77PFRoLe8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 19, 2018
That forced the referees to call a technical foul each on both players, which gave the fans inside Moda Center more reason to cheer loudly for their team. Nurkic and the Blazers also had the last laugh on the night as they were able to come out with the convincing victory, 100-86.
Damian Lillard led the way for the home team as he scored 26 points, to go along with five rebounds and eight assists, while Nurkic recorded a huge double-double with 19 points, 17 rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots.
The Pacers, on the other hand, had big games from Oladipo and Darren Collison who both finished with 23 points each. However, their efforts were not enough for them to extend their winning streak to four games, as they saw their record drop to 24-21 for the season.
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