Wizards run out of gas in 98-95 loss to Pacers

The Washington Wizards fought back in the fourth quarter but couldn’t hit enough shots down the stretch, losing to the Indiana Pacers 98-95 at home on Sunday.

For the first time this season, the Washington Wizards have lost three straight games. Despite a great fourth quarter, they couldn’t overcome the hot shooting of the visiting Indiana Pacers, losing 98-95 on Sunday.

Bradley Beal had another rough night from the field but managed to finish with a double-double, 22 points and a career-high 11 assists. He missed 19 shots, including the team’s final three attempts of the game.

Dematha High alum Victor Oladipo didn’t play in the team’s last matchup on Feb. 5, and made up for lost time in what was a spectacular homecoming game. He scored a game-high 32 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals.

Four Pacers starters finished in double figures, including former Wizard Bojan Bogdanovich who scored 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting.

Washington had four starters in double figures as well, with Otto Porter scoring 17 points and Markieff Morris finishing with 12. Marcin Gortat chipped in 10 points.

Washington started slow and as a result, never led in the game, trailing by as much as 17 points in the second half.

With this loss, the two teams switch positions in the conference as the Wizards now drop to fifth in the East.

Pacers Hot Shooting

Indiana came into the contest as one of the better field goal shooting teams in the league and was lights out in the first quarter. They hit five of their first seven shots and jumped out to a 12-5 lead.

Oladipo headed the attack as he pushed the ball with a purpose from the opening tip. The first-time All-Star hit five of his first six and concluded the first half with 19 points. Washington had a tough time containing him in transition and in half-court sets.

He was held to just four points in the third quarter but he came back with 10 big points in the final quarter, including a free throw with just 11.2 seconds left that made the score 97-95 and gave his team breathing room after they squandered the large lead.

The Pacers were near perfect from the free-throw line, going 22-for-24, and didn’t miss their first foul shot until Oladipo split his pair near the end of the fourth.

Wizards Slow Start

Washington, on the other hand, struggled to consistently make shots to start the game. They made two of their first seven field goals and shot just 37 percent in the opening quarter. The Wizards trailed 30-20, then slightly improved their percentage in the second and trailed 55-45 at the half.

Beal, in particular, had another pedestrian game offensively. He received a great deal of attention and was forced to pass, resulting in just four points at the half on 2-of-10 shooting.

Coach Scott Brooks discussed the team’s resiliency, despite the slow start, after the game.

"“We fought back. It’s tough to get down 17 points, but we did, we came back and had a chance to tie with 10 seconds. We fought back and gave ourselves a chance to send it into overtime,” said Brooks."

The Pacers outscored the Wizards 17-7 in the final six minutes of the third quarter and took a 80-63 lead.

The turnaround happened in the fourth as Beal led a courageous comeback and helped improve the team’s shooting percentage for the game.

Beal Wakes up in the Fourth Quarter

The Panda woke up from his nap in the fourth quarter and his team responded. Beal scored five quick points and added an assist to propel the Wizards to a 10-0 run.

He was taking defenders off the dribble and pulling up with confidence. Here’s three of his 13 fourth-quarter points.

The Wizards would get as close as one point after a Beal free throw with 36.4 seconds left. But, down a man, with Kelly Oubre Jr. missing his first game of the season with a sore foot, Beal had to log 43 minutes. The result was hunched shoulders and shorts grabbing.

The first-time All-Star talked about fatigue to reporters after the game. “I was tired, but… I gotta make them shots,” said Beal.

After Oladipo split the free throws with just over 10 seconds left, Beal had a chance to tie with a pull-up jumper but missed. On the next possession, down three with 5.2 seconds left, Beal again had the ball with a good look from the top of the key after a textbook pump fake, but his shot came up short.

Beal and the Wizards will have a day to recoup before their next test on Tuesday in Miami when they take on the Heat.