Wizards Winning Streak Reaches 5, After Beating Pacers in Indy
On Tuesday, the Washington Wizards winning streak continued as they recorded their fifth-straight win after dropping the Indiana Pacers, 111-102.
The Washington Wizards continued their stellar play without the services of All-Star point guard, John Wall with a 111-102 road victory over the Indiana Pacers Monday night.
The Pacers were without Victor Oladipo (illness) and Darren Collison (scheduled knee surgery on Tuesday).
This win brings the season-high winning streak to five games, and moved the Wizards above .500 on the road at 14-13. It also moved the Wizards into a percentage tie with the Cleveland Cavaliers for third place in the Eastern Conference.
The Wizards have found a formula for success, and even better they are executing that formula flawlessly during this stretch and it continued Monday against the Pacers. Let’s get to the takeaways.
“Everybody Eats”
Bradley Beal has been saying that statement over the last week—a reference to the movie “Paid in Full”. But it’s this mindset that has the Wizards playing high level basketball.
Last night it continued as the Wizards had eight players score in double figures. Beal led the way with a team-high 21. He was joined by fellow starters Otto Porter (13), Markieff Morris (11), and Marcin Gortat (11).
The balanced attack made it difficult for the Pacers to key in on one particular player. Add in the way the ball was moving and you can see why the Wizards were able to shoot almost 55 percent from the floor.
They also continued their recent string of high assists games. They tallied 29 more assists on 45 made field goals just shy of another 30 assist night. Five players had at least three assists and when the ball is moving like it has been during this winning streak good things are bound to happen.
Solid PG Play
After being buried on the point guard depth chart to begin the season, Tomas Satoransky has flourished in a starting role. Sato’s numbers don’t blow you away, but his steadiness and how he runs the team cannot be overstated.
He had six assists against the Pacers while committing zero turnovers in 21 minutes. The 21 minutes was not enough, in my opinion. The Pacers made a run in the fourth quarter with Sato on the bench and the Wizards operating without a true point guard on the floor. Sato has proven himself nicely and should be rewarded with minutes that reflect that.
Not to be outdone, Tim Frazier also turned in another solid performance off the bench. Frazier also had six assists on the evening while only committing one turnover.
Frazier has responded well to increased minutes in Wall’s absence as he’s constantly pushing the pace. Doing so has led to many open looks for his teammates and last night they cashed in. The point guards combined for 12 assists and only one turnover which Brooks will take every night until Wall returns.
The Ian Mahinmi Revenge Game
Ian Mahinmi had his most individual success during his time in Indiana. He was an integral part of a Pacers team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals twice.
Against his former team, Mahinmi turned back the clock and turned in a great performance off the Wizards bench.
Mahinmi had 12 points and was a perfect, 4-for-4, from the field. He also had seven rebounds and two steals. Brooks praised his activity afterwards and Mahinmi was a part of a bench effort that contributed 50 points in the victory.
Mahinmi, who has been a lightning rod ever since he arrived in D.C., has been steadily contributing as of late. He seems to have carved out a niche on the team and has been healthy throughout this season, something he wasn’t last year.
On Tuesday, the Wizards will take on the Sixers in Philadelphia on the second night of a back-to-back.