Wizards-Pacers Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Nov 10 2012 1:41AM

The Washington Wizards opened last season with eight straight losses.

Already halfway there, they now visit a city where they haven't won in over five years.

One of two winless teams remaining in the NBA, the Wizards will try to capitalize on the struggling Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.

Washington (0-4) started 2011-12 with eight straight losses, and eventually fired coach Flip Saunders with an NBA-worst 2-15 record.

So far, the Wizards aren't showing many signs that this season will be any better.

They rank near the bottom of the league in scoring (88.8), shooting percentage (40.8) and 3-point percentage and are averaging 17.0 turnovers per game.

To make matters worse, Washington is without star guard John Wall (knee) and center Nene (foot). Wall is expected to be sidelined until next month, while there is no definitive timetable for Nene's return.

"We just need a win. We need a win," said A.J. Price, who is starting in place of Wall. "We need a win as much as possible."

Even a 12-0 head start wasn't enough, as the Wizards blew that lead and turned the ball over 20 times in Friday's 101-91 loss to Milwaukee.

Still, guard Bradley Beal - the third overall pick in June's draft - doesn't think frustration is setting in.

"That's one thing that we most definitely try to avoid," said Beal, who had a season-high 22 points. "I mean, once we get that, we hang our heads low, then we come out sluggish, and then teams really start beating us. And then we just get into the 'I don't care anymore' mode."

Visiting Indiana may only compound the Wizards' problems. They've lost 31 of the last 37 games there, including eight straight during which the Pacers have averaged 107.6 points per game.

Recently, the venue hasn't mattered with Washington losing six consecutive meetings. However, the Wizards may be in position to end those slides with the Pacers (2-4) entering this matchup following an 0-3 trip and dealing with a major absence.

They found out this week they are going to have to play without star forward Danny Granger for the next three months because of an issue with his left knee. He's led Indiana in scoring in each of the past five seasons.

The Pacers aren't faring well without their best offensive weapon, averaging 86.3 points while shooting 39.9 percent from the floor over the past three games. They fell again Friday when the decisive layup was made with 0.8 seconds left in a 96-94 loss at Minnesota.

"Our margin for error is very small," coach Frank Vogel said. "We've got young and inexperienced players in there at crunch time. We dropped a couple of games because of it. That's what we're trying to overcome without Danny Granger."

Indiana, though, may benefit from a return home. The team won its only home game thus far, beating Sacramento 106-98 in double-overtime last Saturday.

David West had 18 points and a season-high 18 rebounds in that contest, and is coming off another impressive performance with 19 and 13, respectively.

The forward leads the Pacers with 17.7 points and 9.3 rebounds, while George Hill is averaging 16.3 points after scoring a season-best 29 against the Timberwolves.

George helps Pacers top lowly Wizards 89-85

By KAREEM COPELAND
Posted Nov 10 2012 11:13PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Paul George altered his pregame routine Saturday to try to get back on track after a slow start. It didn't take very long to notice a difference.

George scored a season-high 20 points and the Pacers snapped a three-game losing streak with an 89-85 victory over the winless Washington Wizards.

"Guys seemed a little tired, but really gutted it out," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We made some adjustments to our rotation to put our bench in a better position to succeed.

"We're in a figure things out kind of mode."

Roy Hibbert added seven points, 12 rebounds and two blocks for the Pacers (3-4), who enjoyed a 48-40 rebounding edge. Gerald Green had 15 points and Lance Stephenson scored 12 in his first start of the season.

George was 8 for 12 from the field and had seven rebounds and three assists. He said he changed his pregame routine after talking to the coaching staff, hitting the gym early for some additional weightlifting and extra shots.

"Been frustrated all season long," George said. "Shots not going down. . I had to switch something up.

"That's something that sticks out, when someone tells you you need to be more efficient."

Washington carried a 72-70 lead into the fourth quarter, and Jordan Crawford promptly made a 3-pointer to extend the lead to five. But the Pacers then grabbed control with a 10-0 run.

Emeka Okafor and Bradley Beal had 17 points apiece for the Wizards (0-5), and A.J. Price finished with 12 points and 14 assists.

"We're right there again," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "Just kind of the little things in games like this. . We didn't close out the second quarter. I think it was 47-40 and we have to come with a lead. We give them the last shot when we should have taken the last shot. We shoot too soon and they come down and hit a 3. There's three more points that they shouldn't have.

"We, from a stats standpoint, (didn't) take care of the ball. Twelve turnovers, six of them were in the fourth quarter. To win close games you can't have six turnovers in the fourth quarter."

Washington made one last run late in the game. Beal made a 3-pointer and Okafor had a jumper to trim the Pacers lead to 87-85 with 36.4 seconds left. Trevor Booker had a look at a tying jumper, but missed and George hit two free throws to close it out.

"One of our problems is that we turn the ball over too much," Beal said. "We're hesitant in our movement and our passes and a lot of other things.

"We have the parts we need, it's just putting it all together and having better overall execution."

Indiana shot just 58 percent (14 for 24) at the free-throw line, but Washington only attempted seven foul shots, making five.

The Wizards used a 9-0 run to grab a 47-40 lead with 3:32 left in the first half. Price made a 3-pointer and a jumper during the surge.

The Pacers rallied to leave it tied at 49 at halftime. George closed out the half with a 3.

NOTES: The Pacers are off Sunday and host the Raptors on Tuesday. ... Washington is at Charlotte on Tuesday. ... Washington's 85 points were a season-low for a Pacers opponent. ... Price set a career high for assists.

Notebook: Pacers 89, Wizards 85

Conrad Brunner, For NBA.com
Posted Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:28 PM - Updated Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:28 PM

THE FACTS: Until they figure out how to re-calibrate things while Danny Granger is out, it's going to be like this for the Pacers -- grinding games that come down to the last make-or-break possessions, every win a trial by fire. This time, Indiana built a seven-point lead with 1:44 left, and had to hang on for dear life to pull out an 89-85 victory over winless Washington to snap a three-game losing streak Saturday night. It was the sixth time in seven games the Pacers had been involved in a one possession game at the end of regulation. Paul George scored 20 points to lead Indiana (3-4), with Gerald Green adding 15 and eight rebounds off the bench. Bradley Beal and Emeka Okafor scored 17 apiece for the Wizards (0-5).

QUOTABLE: "When Danny [Granger] went down I expected a trial-and-error period. We're sort of figuring things out with our team and I think we took a step in positive direction tonight."

-- Indiana coach Frank Vogel

THE STAT: Filling in at point guard while John Wall recovers from a knee injury, former Pacers backup A.J. Price had a big game against his former team, scoring 12 points and adding a career-high 14 assists -- without a turnover.

TURNING POINT: David West's layup with 1:44 left put the Pacers up 87-80, but Beal hit a 3-pointer and Okafor scored inside to cut it to 87-85 with 36.5 seconds left. The Wizards had a chance to tie or take the lead after George missed an open corner 3-pointer, and got a decent but hurried look in the lane that Trevor Booker missed. George rebounded, was fouled and made both free throws with 1.2 seconds left.

QUOTABLE II: "We're making good strides as a team. We're in every game, which I guess is like a gift and a curse. You'd like to win some games. We're in every game, so it is just little things that we need to correct. It's just execution down the stretch. That's what we haven't been doing yet, and that falls on me. It falls on the point guard. The point guard has to get us in the right sets and make sure we get a shot up."

-- A.J. Price

HOT: Wing players George and Green had struggled under the weight of picking up the Granger slack, combining to shoot 37 percent overall and 31 percent from the arc in the first six games. But the two produced 35 points on 14-for-24 shooting and pulled 15 rebounds.

NOT: Indiana's power tandem of Roy Hibbert and David West combined to shoot 7-for-31 (22.6 percent), while backup power forward Tyler Hansbrough was 4-for-12 from the free-throw line.

GOOD MOVE: Continuing to tinker with the lineup and rotations, Vogel gave Lance Stephenson his first start of the season (and second of his career) at shooting guard, while staggering the second unit rotation to make sure at least two starters were on the floor at all times. Stephenson had 12 points and four rebounds, going 5-for-7, and the bench produced 31 points on 11-for-21 shooting.

BAD MOVE: Throughout the game, the Pacers proved incapable of defending Washington's middle pick-and-roll, with Price invariably creating an open free-throw line jumper for Okafor. But, when the Wizards needed a bucket in the closing seconds, coach Randy Wittman did not go to his money play and paid the price.

ROOKIE WATCH: Beal continued his surge, looking like a player beyond his years, going 6-for-11, hitting all three of his 3-pointers and pulling six rebounds. In the last three games, he has totaled 55 points. None of the Pacers' three rookies played.

NOTABLE: Indiana has won seven in a row from the Wizards, including the last nine at home. ... The Pacers averaged 20.3 turnovers in the first four games but just 13.7 in the last three, including 13 tonight. ... Hibbert pulled a career-high eight offensive rebounds among his 12 boards. ... In his last three games, Price has 39 points and 30 assists. ... Washington scored just 22 points in the paint, a season low for an Indiana opponent.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Tuesday vs. Toronto, Wednesday @ Milwaukee, Friday vs. Dallas. For the Wizards, Tuesday @ Charlotte, Wednesday @ Dallas, Saturday vs. Utah.

• Wizards: Nene, Wall
• Pacers: Granger, Plumlee

• Wizards: Singleton
• Pacers: West

• Lead Changes: 15
• Times Tied: 19

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #68 Marat Kogut, #71 Rodney Mott
• Attendance: 12036
• Duration: 2:07