Game Preview: Pacers at Wizards, Game 4

Game Preview: Pacers at Wizards, Game 4

After dropping Game 1, the Pacers have won consecutive games and taken a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Washington Wizards. They headed to Washington D.C. for a pair of weekend games with the full intention of winning both contests. A dominating defensive display in Game 3, which led to a 22-point win, sets them up for an opportunity to grab a stranglehold on the series with another win Sunday night.

They’ll need more of the same on the defensive side of the ball. The Pacers held the Wizards to just four buckets beyond the arc, and mostly one-shot possessions. They made a conscious effort to get back on defense to slow the “head of the snake,” Wizards guard John Wall. Everything starts with Wall, their second-leading scoring and the engine of the offense.

A good sign for Indiana was Roy Hibbert’s play, now great in back-to-back games. He finished Friday’s game with 14 points, more than enough for them to win. He was aggressive, protected the rim and even flashed a smile after a couple of scores. He appears to be
working his way back to his All-Star form, a good sign for the Pacers.

The Pacers will practice at George Washington University Saturday afternoon to fine-tune a few items, heading into their clash on Mother’s Day.

Pacers: None
Wizards: None

“We have a healthy respect for this basketball team. Obviously we have a healthy respect for the Chicago Bulls and to see what they did to Chicago (in the First Round), opened up all of ours eyes – as it did the whole nation. I just don’t think that there’s going to be any kind of let down when we know what they’re capable of.” – Frank Vogel

“My main thing is just to be as productive as I can, don’t get too high don’t get too low, and just try to help this team out in anyway I can.” – Roy Hibbert

“I think that would open up the series a little bit better but at the same time, we didn’t come here to try and get one game. We try to win every game and be the best that we can. We know they’re going to come out with a lot of energy next game and we got to match that.” – George Hill on the importance of winning Game 4

May 9: The Pacers’ defense spelled trouble for the Wizards all night on Friday. Up one at the break, they outscored the Wizards 51-30 over the final two quarters in an 85-63 victory Friday night. The Wizards’ 63 points was a franchise playoff-low, they made less than 33 percent of their shots and committed 18 turnovers. While Indiana’s offense wasn’t spectacular, but it was plenty good enough, capitalizing off its defense, en route to a 22-point win.

Paul George led the Pacers with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Roy Hibbert did exactly the team needed – protecting the rim, playing aggressive and making the most of his offensive touches – and finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three rejections. Bradley Beal scored a team-high 16 points for the Wizards, on 6-of-19 shooting, and Trevor Ariza contributed 12 points and 15 rebounds.

TV: TNT – Broadcasters TBA
NOTE: FOX Sports Indiana will air a postgame show immediately following the conclusion of Game 4, hosted by Chris Denari, Quinn Buckner, and Brooke Olzendam.

Radio: FM 107.5/AM 1070 The Fan, Pacers Radio Network – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Michael Grady (studio host)

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