Despite having a 15-point lead heading into the final quarter of the game, the Washington Wizards gave the Indiana Pacers a run for their money. In the end, some great defensive stops were key to Indiana’s triumph.
The Pacers really looked good from the get-go in this one. Indiana came out of the gates shooting 53% from the field, and forced a John Wall-less Wizards team into some uncomfortable offensive situations in the first quarter.
The three ball was also flying early, as the Pacers ended up shooting 50% from 3-point range in the first half.
The second half saw the Pacers shoot a lot worse, and the Wizards shoot a lot better. Indiana was 3 for 15 on 3’s in the second half of the game. The Pacers also turned the ball over 7 times, but were able to swipe away 5 balls from the Wizards as well.
The real key moments for the Pacers came late in the fourth (shocker). It was plays like this, where Washington seemed destined to score, but the Pacers were determined to stop them, that secured the win for Indiana.
The Good: The Pacers (early on at least) did a great job of selecting good shots, and forcing turnovers on the defensive end of the floor. They put an already uncomfortable Wizards team, into even more uncomfortable positions. Also, Indiana shot 91.7% from the free throw line, which is exactly what you need when you are looking to close out close games.
The Bad: Despite it being close, it was a pretty well played game from both sides. There were a few negatives (12-0 run by the Wizards, not-so-stellar passes leading to turnovers, etc.) but the biggest thing that made me nervous were Indiana’s late-game free throws.
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Oladipo and CoJo each missed a free throw in the final minute of the game. While it may not be a big deal now (and actually may seem kind of nit-picky), come playoff time those free throws could be the difference between the Pacers seeing another round, or going home early.
MVP: Here comes a shocker, my MVP is…Victor Oladipo. The mad-man was great down the home stretch of the game, putting in clutch shots and playing phenomenal defense. Vic put up 33 points, and made this his 46th consecutive game with a steal or a block (which is a Pacers franchise record).
LVP: Thad Young. Believe me when I tell you this one hurts. Young had 0 points and 4 boards, in almost 33 minutes. He did have 3 steals, but on the contrary had 3 turnovers as well. Lance didn’t help much either, as he posted 2 points and had a team worst -16 +/- ratio.
X-Factor: CoJo and Oladipo’s defense on Bradley Beal. He did have 22 points, but that came with shooting a game high 27 shots, and only making 8 of them. Indiana also forced Beal to turn the ball over 5 times throughout tonights contest.
Next: What to expect from Trevor Booker
Indiana heads back to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, where they’ll be battling the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time in the last 4 days at 7 p.m.