Game Rewind: Pacers 113, Wizards 108

The Pacers are heading into the All-Star break on a positive note. Indiana (20-40) snapped a six-game skid with a 113-108 win over Washington (26-31) on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Blue & Gold picked up the victory despite having just nine active players for the game, with just one (Oshae Brissett) who was on the 15-man NBA roster at the start of the regular season.

But the undermanned Pacers found a way to win thanks to a strong collective effort. Six players scored in double figures, with Tyrese Haliburton leading the way with 21 points and 14 assists, dishing out several timely dimes down the stretch.

Two-way forward Terry Taylor added 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting and nine rebounds, while fellow big man Tristan Thompson added 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and six boards off the bench.

"Just making plays, guys being in the right spots," Haliburton said of the difference in Indiana snapping its losing streak. "I thought (Taylor) and Oshae...those two did a good job down the stretch of being in the right spots at the right times, cutting and slipping out ball screens and all that good stuff. They made some big plays for us down the stretch."

The Wizards jumped in front early in Wednesday's contest and led 21-14 following Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's 3-pointer with 3:27 remaining in the opening frame. The Pacers stormed back with 10 straight points, taking the lead on Lance Stephenson's three-point play with 1:48 left and then capping the run the next trip down the court, when Haliburton made a no-look pass to Brissett for a two-hand slam in transition.

Anthony Gill hit two free throws in the closing seconds of the quarter to tie the game at 25.

The Pacers opened the second quarter with a 16-4 run, making seven straight shots during that span. Thompson scored six points in the run, while Haliburton added five.

The Blue & Gold led by as many as 13 in the frame, but Washington closed the half with a 12-4 run to climb back within five at 56-51.

The Pacers extended the lead once more with another strong start to a quarter. Haliburton scored on a layup, then connected with Buddy Hield for a 3-pointer for the first five points of the second half.

The Blue & Gold pushed the margin back to 13 on three separate occasions in the third quarter, the final time when Stephenson crossed up Ish Smith on his way to the rim for a right-handed finish that made it 84-71 with 1:34 remaining in the quarter.

But the Wizards closed the period with five straight points thanks to a Deni Avdija 3-pointer and a pair of Kyle Kuzma free throws to make it a single-digit game entering the fourth.

Washington continued to chip away at Indiana's lead in the final frame, making it a 90-87 game on Cassius Winston's three with 8:02 to play.

Five straight points from Thompson — including a massive one-hand slam off a lob from Haliburton — helped Indiana keep the Wizards at bay for a stretch, but Caldwell-Pope's trey with 5:16 remaining trimmed the lead to 95-94.

That prompted a timeout from Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. The Blue & Gold righted the ship out of the break, with Taylor scoring on the baseline and then Haliburton knocking down a mid-range jumper to push the lead back to five.

After another stoppage Haliburton connected with a cutting Taylor for another basket to make it 101-94 as the clock ticked under three minutes.

Avdija answered with a hook shot at 2:17, but once again Haliburton found Taylor on the other end.

The Wizards weren't done, however. Another Avdija basket and a Caldwell-Pope three made it 103-101 with 1:15 to play.

After a timeout, Haliburton drove to the rack and missed, but Taylor was there to clean it up, converting a basket plus the foul at 1:04.

He missed the free throw, however, and Caldwell-Pope's layup with 42.2 seconds remaining once again made it a one-point game.

But the Pacers had another answer, as Haliburton drove and dished to a cutting Brissett for a dunk with 21.3 seconds to play. Kuzma missed on the other end, and the Pacers sealed the game at the free throw line.

"I saw the opening, I saw Tyrese going to attack," Brissett of his cut. "He draws so much attention because he can finish around the rim really well...I just saw the opening, was able to get down there, and I knew he was going to find me."

Brissett finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and two steals for Indiana. Hield added 15 points, six boards, and seven assists, while Stephenson stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

"The guys found a collective will to win this game and made a couple extra plays down the stretch," Carlisle said. "Taylor was great finishing off a couple plays, Haliburton had another great all-around game. We had contributions from a lot of different guys."

Caldwell-Pope had a game-high 27 points for Washington, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Kumza was 6-for-12 from beyond the arc, tallying 26 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists.

The Pacers now have an eight-day break before returning to action next Friday, when they tip off a two-game homestand.

Haliburton recorded his second double-double in his first four games with the Pacers. He also had a double-double in two of his last three games in Sacramento before being traded to Indiana.

Taylor started his second career game and came one rebound shy of collecting his third double-double.

The Pacers won despite being outscored by 39 points from 3-point range. Indiana went 4-for-20 (20 percent) from beyond the arc, while the Wizards were 17-for-37 (45.9 percent).

Indiana made up for that disparity by dominating the interior, scoring a season-high 74 points in the paint and outscoring Washington by 38 in that category.

"I felt like the past couple games we were really close (to winning). And I feel like today was just a great step in the right direction, showing how we're growing together as a team and really learning each other." -Brissett

"Our last four games, I'd put our assist numbers up against anybody right now. Even though we've had trouble winning the game, we're moving it well and doing a lot of good things." -Carlisle

"I'd probably say the best part of my game is how I facilitate, how I get guys involved. But I know I have to be aggressive at the same time to keep people honest and mix in both those things for me to be at my best and my team to be at our best." -Haliburton on balancing his passing with scoring

"He's always looking to push the pace. He's telling us, 'If you run, I'm trying to throw it up ahead so we can score early.'...It brings energy to our team. The ball has life and it's not just sticking to one person and watching go iso. That's fun." -Taylor on Haliburton being the catalyst for the offense

The Pacers defeated an Eastern Conference team for the first time in two months on Wednesday. Indiana had lost 16 straight games against conference opponents. The Pacers' last win over an East team was a 122-113 victory over Detroit on Dec. 16.

The Pacers return to action after the All-Star break on Friday, Feb. 25, when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »