Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers intent on not overlooking Pacers

Looking to stay in the hunt for a top-eight seed in the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers will try for back-to-back wins for the first time in over five weeks when they face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night in Indianapolis.

Portland, currently the No. 10 seed, trails the No. 9 Golden State Warriors by a half-game and the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers by 1 1/2 games.

The play-in tournament will comprise the Nos. 7-10 seeds. To advance, Nos. 7 and 8 will have two chances to win one game, while Nos.