WASHINGTON
(AP) — Bradley Beal scored 32 points, Kristaps Porzingis and Monte
Morris added 17 apiece and the Washington Wizards shot 70% from the
field through the first three quarters of their 127-113 rout of the
Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
Washington
led 80-57 after its highest-scoring half of the season. The Wizards
gave up the first 10 points of the third quarter, bringing back
memories of a couple recent games in which they blew 20-point
leads, but they steadied themselves quickly and led 104-88 heading
into the fourth.
Washington
was able to substitute liberally toward the end — 13 players
appeared for the Wizards — and a late slide dropped their final
shooting percentage down to 64%, costing them a franchise record
but setting a season high by a comfortable margin.
“We talked
about it at halftime — we’re not going to shoot 70% all game,”
Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “But we still shot pretty
well. That was kind of the messaging. Don’t get complacent with
just making shots.”
Tyrese
Haliburton scored 21 points and Myles Turner had 20 for Indiana,
which has lost 15 of its last 17.
Washington,
which pulled even with Chicago for ninth place in the Eastern
Conference, was without Kyle Kuzma because of a sprained left
ankle.
The Wizards
had 18 turnovers to Indiana’s eight and allowed 27 second-chance
points, but none of that made much difference with Washington
shooting such an incredible percentage. The Wizards shot 73% from
2-point range, 46% from 3 and 86% on free throws.
The Wizards
went 15 of 20 from the field in the first quarter — including 12 of
13 inside the arc — and led 37-29. It took a little while before
Washington really broke the game open, but an 18-4 run late in the
first half made it 80-55.
The Wizards
have won two in a row following a three-game losing streak in which
they led by at least 20 in losses to Portland and Brooklyn. They
traded Rui Hachimura recently and acquired Kendrick Nunn, but it
was otherwise a quiet trade deadline for Washington.
“I think our
biggest thing is being healthy,” Beal said. “This is our team. You
can’t make any adjustments now. You’ve got to ride it out
throughout the rest of the year.”
CONSISTENCY
Often when a
team shoots an unusually high percentage early, it regresses
dramatically at some point, but the Wizards shot 75% in the first
quarter, 71% in the second and 62% in the third. They finally
dipped to 48% in the fourth, missing their final four attempts of
the game.
TIP-INS
Pacers:
George Hill and Jordan Nwora, acquired Thursday from Milwaukee in a
trade, are expected to suit up for the Pacers next week. ... Daniel
Theis (right knee) did not play.
Wizards:
Daniel Gafford scored 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting. ... Before
Saturday, Washington’s top shooting percentage this season was 58%
at Philadelphia on Nov. 2. The franchise record is 65.3% on April
8, 2015, also at Philadelphia.
