Game Rewind: Pacers 123, Wizards 133

The Pacers wrapped up their four-game road trip with a stop in Washington D.C. to take on the Wizards for the final time this season. Unfortunately, Washington’s offense was too much for Indiana to handle Sunday night.

After Indiana earned a four-point halftime lead, the Wizards outscored the Pacers, 76-62 in the second half to capture a 133-123 victory inside Capital One Arena. Seven Wizards (29-34) scored double figures; the squad finished 17-of-42 (40.5 percent) from deep. Kristaps Porzingis led the team with 25 points in his first game back from injury.

Six Pacers (22-43) finished in double figures in the loss. Malcolm Brogdon led the way again with 27 points – 11 from the charity stripe. Goga Bitadze had a stellar night, setting a new career-high with 20 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting night, including three triples. Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton finished with a 15-point, 11 assist double-double.

"I thought (Bitadze) was great," Brogdon said. "He came in, he was locked in and contributed. He had a huge impact on both ends of the ball."

"Just being ready," added Bitadze about his big performance. "I (was) trusting my shot, trusting my game, and Coach put me out there to make plays."

The Pacers had trouble playing clean basketball to start. The squad committed four early fouls, sending the Wizards to the free-throw line frequently. Washington began 7-of-8 from the line – four from Porzingis – to earn a 9-2 lead with 8:50 remaining.

But the Blue & Gold fought through the freebies and mounted an 8-2 spurt to cut the gap to one with 6:32 to play.

Indiana failed to eclipse the hosts, though, as they began firing from deep. Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drilled triples to help maintain the Wizards' advantage. Gafford followed with a layup between two Pacers defenders at the 2:39 mark to give Washington a 23-17 lead.

Trailing 30-21 with 1:11 remaining, Brogdon tallied five straight to trim the deficit to 30-26 before the quarter expired. After starting 1-of-7, Indiana finished 11-of-22 from the field in the period.

A pair of triples from Bitadze helped Indiana keep pace with the Wizards’ red-hot shooting. Eventually, the Blue & Gold earned a 38-38 tie at the 9:14 mark. Then, Oshae Brissett secured the Pacers’ first lead with a running slam over Porzingis. The flush came after Porzingis blocked Brissett’s first attempt.

Soon after, Haliburton and Bitadze teamed up to stretch the Pacers’ lead to nine. First, the guard tallied four points. Then, he dished a crafty pass to Bitadze, who drew a foul for two free throws. Then, the big man tallied five more – including his third triple — to give Indiana a 51-42 lead with 4:36 left.

The Pacers stretched their lead to as many as 11 before the Wizards chewed into it. With 2:21 left, Raul Neto finished a gusty layup through a Bitadze foul. Neto fell hard and rolled his ankle. He missed the ensuing free throw, but the Wizards snagged the offensive board. Caldwell-Pope sank a trey for a five-point swing. Indiana led 57-53 with 2:16 left. However, The Pacers held onto a four-point edge (61-57) as the half expired.

A 14-6 Washington run — seven from Porzingis — pushed Washington ahead 71-67 and prompted a Pacers timeout with 7:45 left in the third. In addition to Porzingis, the Wizards got a boost from Caldwell-Pope, who started the frame with five straight.

The hosts remained in front over the next few minutes, finding success in the paint. Gafford provided the pressure with two easy buckets, including an alley-oop flush that gave Washington an 80-73 lead.

A pair of threes from Duane Washington Jr. cut the Pacers' deficit to 82-79 at the 4:03 mark. But, they could not get any closer. Kuzma, Deni Avdija, and Caldwell-Pope all chipped in to increase the lead to 89-81 with 2:39 left.

Washington threatened to enter the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead. But Brogdon banked in a crafty driving layup from the left block to cut the gap to 96-87.

Although Indiana found offensive success inside the arc, the Wizards used three early triples to extend the lead to 108-98 with 8:40 remaining.

Haliburton's triple at the 7:47 mark was the first by a Pacers starter for the game. The 27-footer from the left side cut the deficit to 109-103.

When Kuzma retaliated with a trey, Indiana kept creeping up. Back-to-back triples from Hield — his only threes of the game — helped Indiana trim the lead to 116-111. Then, Jalen Smith tipped in an offensive rebound at the 5:09 mark to bring the Pacers back within one possession.

However, Washington remained in front, stretching the lead back to seven on a three from Anthony Gill with 3:39 left.

A pair of Brogdon free throws with 1:35 left brought the Blue & Gold back to within three of the lead. But Porzingis cleaned up a Wizards misfire with a massive slam to stretch the gap to five. Brogdon tried to respond with a three. But his attempt fell short. With 50.9 seconds remaining, Ish Smith drilled a step-back jumper to put the game on ice.

Buddy Hield finished with 19 points. Jalen Smith added 15, while Duane Washington Jr. tallied 11 to round out the Pacers' top scorers.

Indiana dominated the paint, outscoring Washington 60-44.

The Pacers committed 10 turnovers for 17 Wizards points. Washington committed just six turnovers for four Pacers points.

"He needed a night like tonight. He's a guy that works hard. He's come a long way since his first year in the NBA. I've really watched him mature on and off the court. He deserves to have a night like tonight. He deserves to have more nights like this." –Brogdon on Bitadze

"I haven't looked at the film yet. But I don't think there is going to be much of anything that looks like it was a negative when he was out there. He hit huge shots on offense — he didn't miss a shot tonight. He was a presence defensively. He got some rebounds. He did a lot of good things." –Carlisle on Bitadze

The Pacers' starters finished 3-of-16 from 3-point range. Washington's starters finished 12-of-28.

After a four-game road trip, the Pacers return home to host Caris LeVert and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, March 8 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »