Avdija scores 32, Clingan adds 28 as Trail Blazers beat Pacers 127-119 to close in on play-in spot

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Deni Avdija scored 23 of his 32 points in the first half Wednesday night and Donovan Clingan added a career-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Portland Trail Blazers hold off the hard-charging Indiana Pacers 127-119.

Portland won the for the third time in four games as the 10th-seeded Trail Blazers close in on clinching a Western Conference play-in spot in what figures to be a wide-open postseason.

Indiana extended the longest losing streak in its NBA franchise history to 15 games. The Pacers' last win came Feb. 11.

Avdija also had 11 rebounds for Portland, which matched its highest-scoring half of the season with 79 points in the first two quarters. Clingan was 3 of 5 on 3-pointers and had two blocks.

Ivica Zubac led the injury-riddled Pacers with 18 points. Jalen Slawson had 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

Four-time All-Star Pascal Siakam missed his sixth straight game with a sprained right knee. During his pregame news conference, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he didn't have a timetable for Siakam's return but remained hopeful Siakam would be back this season despite Indiana have the league's worst record at 15-54.

Portland never trailed and was in control all night, though the Pacers turned the tables late by charging back from a 115-98 deficit with 7:17 left to cut it to 120-117 with 1:52 to go. But the Pacers missed a layup and 3-pointer in the final 90 seconds while Jrue Holiday made a 3 and Avdija made two free throws to close it out.

The Trail Blazers took control quickly, using a 7-0 run to extend a four-point lead to 31-20 and still led 79-62 at the half. Indiana closed to 82-72 early in the third only to see Portland answer with nine straight to pull back out to 91-72 lead before Indiana made its late push.

Trail Blazers: Continue their road trip at Minnesota on Friday.

Pacers: Will try to snap their losing streak Saturday at San Antonio.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) drives on Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray (24) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith (23) shoots over Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac (40) grabs a rebound over Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) grabs a rebound between Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32) and guard Quenton Jackson (29) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) draws the foul from Indiana Pacers guard Kam Jones (7) as he shoots during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed she was among women and girls who say they were sexually abused by César Chavez, the widely admired Latino icon who brought to light the struggles of farmhands while leading the United Farm Workers union.

The stunning allegations against Chavez, who died more than three decades ago, drew immediate calls to alter memorials honoring the man who in the 1960s helped secure better wages and working conditions for farmworkers and has been long revered by many Democratic leaders in the U.S.

In a statement released Wednesday, Huerta said she stayed silent for 60 years out of concern that her words would hurt the farmworker movement.

Huerta described two sexual encounters with Chavez, one where she was “manipulated and pressured” and another where she was “forced against my will.”

“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let César or anyone else get in the way,” she said.

Huerta, who is a labor rights legend in her own right, joined Chavez in 1962 to co-found the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers of America.

For many, they were akin to Martin Luther King. Jr. and Rosa Parks because of their work advocating for racial equality and civil rights.

The New York Times first reported Wednesday that it found Chavez groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the movement. Huerta, too, revealed to the newspaper that she was a victim of the abuse in her 30s.

Huerta later said both sexual encounters with Chavez led to pregnancies, which she kept secret, and that she arranged for the children to be raised by other families. “No one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago,” she said in her statement.

Huerta said she did not know that Chavez hurt other women and condemned his actions but emphasized that the farmworker movement is bigger than one person.

“César’s actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people,” Huerta said in her statement. “We must continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever.”

Chavez's family said in a statement that they are devastated by the news and “wish peace and healing to the survivors and commend their courage to come forward.”

“We carry our own memories of the person we knew. Someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people,” the statement said.

Streets, schools and parks across the Southwest bear Chavez’s name. California became the first state to commemorate his birthday, and in 2014, then-President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as national César Chavez Day.

President Joe Biden had a bronze bust of Chavez installed in the Oval Office when he moved into the White House. Neither Biden nor Obama have yet commented on the allegations.

But otherwise, reactions Wednesday were swift from many in both parties.

Days before the allegations were revealed publicly, several César Chavez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas and in his home state of Arizona were canceled at the request of the César Chavez Foundation. Organizers of canceled events did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state will not observe the César Chavez Day holiday and that he will urge the state Legislature to remove it altogether.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was still processing the news. The Democratic governor wouldn’t commit to making any changes to the state holiday, saying the farmworker movement was much more than Chavez. “It’s about labor. It’s about social justice, economic justice, racial justice.”

A spokesperson for Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said she has declined to recognize March 31 as César Chavez Day as she has in the two prior years. César Chavez Day isn’t a state holiday in Arizona.

Next week, the Phoenix City Council is set to vote on whether to rename the March 31 holiday, as well as buildings and city streets that bear Chavez’s name. The mayor and two city council members want the holiday to be renamed Farmworkers Day.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller ordered a review of how Chavez is recognized across the city. And U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, a New Mexico Democrat, said: “His name should be removed from landmarks, institutions and honors."

Born in Yuma, Arizona, Chavez grew up in a Mexican American family that traveled around California picking lettuce, grapes, cotton and other seasonal crops. He died in California in 1993 at age 66.

Chavez is known nationally for his early organizing in the fields, a hunger strike, a grape boycott and eventual victory in getting growers to negotiate with farmworkers for better wages and working conditions.

The César Chavez Foundation pledged unequivocal support for the labor leader’s victims on Wednesday and said that -- with the Chavez family’s support -- the organization will figure out its identity going forward.

“We are committed to restorative justice and healing for those who have been harmed, and to ensure our organization reflects the dignity and safety every person deserves,” the foundation said in a statement.

Latino leaders and community groups are now weighing the impact of Chavez's actions on the labor rights movement while emphasizing that the farmworker movement was led by thousands who came together to fight for justice.

The League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil rights organization, released a statement condemning any form of sexual violence, stating that “no individual, regardless of statue or legacy is above accountability.” Similarly, leaders from the nonprofit Voto Latino said in a statement that no matter his legacy or historical framing Chavez’s actions are inexcusable. But, they said, the news does not erase the work done by others.

“The women who organized, marched, and sacrificed alongside farmworkers carried this movement on their backs,” Voto Latino said.

U.S. Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, issued a statement saying she was heartbroken and deeply disturbed by the stories of women who say they were abused.

The United Farm Workers union quickly distanced itself from annual celebrations of its founder, calling the allegations troubling.

In a statement Tuesday, the union said allegations of “abuse of young women or minors” were concerning enough to urge people around the country to participate in immigration justice events or acts of service instead of the typical events in March to commemorate Chavez’s legacy.

Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, Calif.; Dorany Pineda in Los Angeles; Felicia Fonseca and Jacques Billeaud in Arizona contributed to this report.

FILE - Dolores Huerta, the Mexican-American social activist who formed a farm workers union with Cesar Chavez, stands for the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish while visiting the New Mexico Statehouse in Santa Fe. N.M., on Feb. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)

FILE - United Farm Workers leader Dolores Huerta, center, leads a rally in San Francisco's Mission District on Nov. 19, 1988, along with Howard Wallace, president of the San Francisco chapter of the UFW, left, and Maria Elena Chavez, 16, the daughter of Cesar Chavez, right, as part of a national boycott of what the UFW claims is the dangerous use of pesticides on table grapes. (AP Photo/Court Mast, File)

FILE - United Farm Workers President Cesar Chavez talks to striking Salinas Valley farmworkers during a large rally in Salinas, Calif., on March 7, 1979. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

Civil rights leader Cesar Chavez leads a picket against Dole in front of the offices of Castle & Cooke, its parent company, at 50 California St. in San Francisco on Feb. 3, 1982. The United Farm Workers are sponsoring a consumer boycott on Dole products where 300 union members from Ventura, Calif., have been on strike since November. (Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Civil rights leader Cesar Chavez leads a picket against Dole in front of the offices of Castle & Cooke, its parent company, at 50 California St. in San Francisco on Feb. 3, 1982. The United Farm Workers are sponsoring a consumer boycott on Dole products where 300 union members from Ventura, Calif., have been on strike since November. (Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A statue of farmworker union leader César Chávez stands in a plaza named after him in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)

FILE - Dolores Huerta, the labor leader, civil rights activist and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, is seen at the California Democratic Party's 2025 State Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

A plaque dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the passing of Cesar Chavez, honoring Chavez and Sister Dolores Huerta, is part of the Haymarket Memorial, seen Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Books about Cesar Chavez are seen on a library shelf at San Lorenzo High School Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in San Lorenzo, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

A plaque dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the passing of Cesar Chavez, honoring Chavez and Sister Dolores Huerta, is part of the Haymarket Memorial, seen Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Governor Gavin Newsom speaks about the sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez during a press conference at San Lorenzo High School, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in San Lorenzo, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

FILE - Cesar Chavez, a farm worker, labor organizer and leader of the California grape strike, is seen in a California works office in 1965. (AP Photo, George Brich, File)