PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Trail Blazers put together an offensive masterpiece in a 131-109 pasting of the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at Moda Center.

The Trail Blazers, though, said it was a direct result of improved performance at the defensive end.

"When we play well defensively -- when we fly around, have active hands, get deflections -- we can get out and run," said Portland's Damian Lillard, who scored 28 points and handed out 10 assists. "It shows the kind of shots we can get and the kind of game we can play. It was all based on our defense tonight."

Moe Harkless matched his season high with 23 points and CJ McCollum contributed 19 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Trail Blazers (10-10), who had six players score in double figures.

The Blazers shot 54.3 percent from the field, owned a 40-32 rebound advantage and committed only seven turnovers against an Indiana team that came into the game having forced an NBA-high 16.9 per game.

"We did what we needed to do defensively, and that led to good offense," Lillard said. "When you have a game with seven turnovers against a team like that, it shows you came in with the right mentality.

Jeff Teague collected 25 points and eight assists and Myles Turner had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers (9-10), who trailed 109-93 after three quarters.

Indiana came into the game leading the NBA in steals (9.6) and forcing turnovers (16.9), ranked second in opponents' 3-point percentage (32.8) and third in blocked shots (6.2). Against Portland, the Pacers had three steals, forced seven turnovers, allowed the Blazers to shoot 37.5 from 3-point range and blocked four shots.

"We never established ourselves defensively," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. The Blazers "had everything going. They had 58 points in the paint. They were throwing lobs. They were knocking down 3's.

"We never really ever controlled the ball. When you're not doing that with a team that gets off to a hot shooting start, it's going to be a long night for you."

Portland shot 63.8 from the field and sank 8 of 12 attempts from 3-point range in running up a 73-58 lead going into the half. Lillard led five Blazers in double figures by the break with 18 points and eight assists while Harkless chipped in 15 points. Turner had 15 points and six rebounds and Teague 14 points and six assists for the Pacers.

The Blazers missed their first five shots but soon took control, mounting a 27-15 lead. The Blazers settled for a 31-23 advantage heading into the second quarter.

An Evan Turner 3-point shot upped Portland's edge to 46-29 early in the second period. The Blazers carried a 15-point bulge into intermission.

CJ McCollum came out smoking in the third quarter, scoring 15 of the Blazers' first 17 points as they increased the lead to 90-69. Soon it was 103-75.

Indiana scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter and cut the difference to 112-99 with 6:45 to play. That was as close as the Pacers were to get.

The Blazers spent much of Monday and Tuesday practice sessions working on making improvement on the defensive end.

"The last couple days helped us refocus," said Harkless, who has scored in double figures in eight straight games. "That was good for us.

"We always score points. The biggest thing was, we didn't give up 130 or 140 points. We're not ever worried about our offense. Tonight, we were scoring particularly well. It helped our defense as well."

McMillan, meanwhile, wasn't in the mood to reflect on the Pacers' previous game, a 91-70 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

"We did a good job on Sunday (against the Clippers)," he said. "That game is behind us. You have to come back and do it again. We didn't.

"We took a step back tonight. We weren't defending. Our offensive execution wasn't there. We were more concerned about the offense than coming out here and defending tonight."

NOTES: It was Portland's fifth straight victory over Indiana. ... The 22-point margin was the Blazers' largest of the season. ... The Pacers had two four-point plays in the first half -- the first by F Glenn Robinson III, the second by G Aaron Brooks. ... The game marked the first return as a head coach of Indiana's Nate McMillan, the Trail Blazers' head coach for 6 1/2 years (2005-12). McMillan was an assistant coach with the Pacers the past three season. Portland "is a great basketball town," McMillan said. "I told our guys, 'This building is a tough place to play.' The fan base supports this team. They get into the game." ... Indiana was without F Paul George (ankle, back), who has missed six of the Pacers' last seven games. McMillan said he hopes George will be able to return for Indiana's next game Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers. ... Portland entered the game last in the league in defensive efficiency rating (110.93) and 29th in opponents' scoring (113.7).