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FINAL: WIZARDS 110 | PACERS 116
SCORING LEADERS
WIZARDS: Bradley Beal (34), Daniel Gafford (14), Kyle Kuzma (14)
PACERS: Domantas Sabonis (30), Caris LeVert (19), Malcolm Brogdon (17)
SUMMARY
The Wizards fell to the Pacers 116-110 on Monday night in the second game of a road back-to-back. Bradley Beal scored 34 points to lead six Wizards scoring in double-figures, including Corey Kispert, who knocked down a pair of threes off the bench. Washington was playing without starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie (right knee injury maintenance).
Kyle Kuzma hit a 3-pointer to get the Washington offense going, but it was the Wizards’ early defense that set the tone, holding Indiana without a field goal for a four-minute stretch early in the first. The Pacers then used a 20-6 quarter-closing run, capped by a pair of threes from Oshae Brissett, to take a double-digit lead into the second quarter. Indiana led by as many as 16 points in the second before Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, coming off a season-high 26 points on Sunday night, knocked down a three to cap a Wizards run that cut the lead to 10 and pull the Wizards closer just before halftime.
In a shootout of a third quarter, the teams combined for 61 points and shot 21-38 (.552) from the field. The Wizards hit three of their four 3-point attempts in the frame and again cut the lead down to 10, but 10 third-quarter points apiece from Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon helped Indiana stay on track. A Corey Kispert triple at the third-quarter buzzer made it 88-87 heading into the fourth quarter. A driving layup from Beal cut the lead to single digits for the first time since the first quarter before consecutive threes from the Pacers put them back up 13. Despite shooting 12-18 (.667) from the field in the fourth, Washington was unable to pull back into the game.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
Beal bounces back
After missing the Wizards and Pacers’ 135-134 overtime shootout earlier this season and scoring just 14 points in each of the last two games, Beal bounced back in a big way on Monday night, surpassing that scoring total in the first half alone against the Pacers. Beal got going with a 15-point first half, shooting 7-10 (.700) from the field on his way to a 34-point night. He finished 12-19 (.632) from the field and 9-10 (.900) from the free throw line. It was Beal’s fourth time this season scoring 30 points and two points shy of his season-high 36 scored in October against Boston.
Wizards suffer first three-game losing streak of season
With the loss, the Wizards have now lost three games in a row for the first time this season and dropped eight of their last 12 games. Washington entered Monday night’s game as one of just six remaining teams left in the league that had not lost three games in a row. Next up, the Wizards head to Detroit to close out a three-game road trip before returning to Capital One Arena, where they are 8-3 this season.
Sabonis scores 30 to lead Pacers
After scoring just four points in the first quarter, Sabonis was dominant from that point on. In the second and third quarters, the big man scored 21 points on 8-8 (1.000) from the field – and went on to finish the night with a team-high 30 points on 11-15 (.733) shooting. Sabonis added 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block and was plus-14 in 36 minutes.