First Thoughts: Washington 104, Indiana 85
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Pacers were blown out by the Washington Wizards 104-85 on Saturday night at the Verizon Center.
WHY IT HAPPENED: John Wall dominated most of the way. He went off for 37 points and five assists — seemingly playing against himself at both ends of the floor, and going at an 85-mile-an-hour pace while Indiana was at 50. The Pacers allowed the Wizards to constantly disrupt their offense and seemed disengaged throughout long portions of the contest. The Pacers’ defense, which has been the best in the league all year, had one of its worst performances of the season. Roy Hibbert was the only bright spot Saturday for the Pacers, scoring 25 points. Gerald Green added 13 points off the bench.
WHAT WE LEARNED: The Pacers were pitiful. Obviously, they were on the second night of a back-to-back, but physical fatigue wasn’t why they lost this game. The Pacers lost because they got blitzed at the start of both halves by a lottery-bound team playing only for pride. Washington outworked the Pacers on defense and clearly adopted the more aggressive mindset. Frank Vogel received a technical foul during one particularly poor sequence. The Pacers let Wall run wild. They allowed a season-high 28 fast-break points, let Washington score half its points (52) in the paint and let their opponent shoot at least 46 percent from the field for a fourth straight game. Indiana (48-29) is now three games behind New York (49-26) in the chase for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
KEY NUMBER: The Pacers went 3-for-20 from behind the arc. The 3-point shot is an important variable in Indiana’s success. Not a single starter made one.
TURNING POINT: Wall scored or assisted on eight points in a 12-0 run by Washington to start the second half. Most of the offense came via dunks and free throws. The Wizards put their foot down, and Indiana was fighting an uphill battle the rest of the way.
NEXT: The Pacers have two days off before facing Cleveland at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. Only five games remain in the season.
