Pacers Beat the Wizards 114-101: a 14-0 Fourth-Quarter Run, Siakam's 28 and Indiana's First Home Win
Three quarters ended 77-77 in Indianapolis. Then Indiana scored the first 14 points of the fourth, outscored Washington 37-24 in the quarter, and closed out its first home win of the season.
INDIANAPOLIS — For three quarters on Wednesday night, the Indiana Pacers and the Washington Wizards were the same team in the standings and on the scoreboard: tied 77-77 with one quarter to play. The fourth quarter separated them completely. Indiana scored the first 14 points of the final period, outscored Washington 37-24 in the quarter and won 114-101 — the Pacers' first home win of the season.
Pascal Siakam collected 28 points, made all 12 of his free throws and added eight rebounds. He had help inside all night: Ivica Zubac recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds and Andrew Nembhard had 17 points and 10 assists — each a double-double — and Indiana finished with a 60-44 advantage in points in the paint. Kelly Oubre Jr., who played parts of four seasons in Washington, finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four steals. The one shadow for Indiana: Aaron Nesmith was ruled out in the fourth quarter with a sore right knee.
Washington's rally had been real. After Siakam's 3-pointer pushed the Pacers' lead to 69-59 midway through the third, the Wizards answered with an 18-7 run capped by Trae Young's 3-pointer with 1:22 left in the quarter to forge the tie. Kyshawn George collected 25 points and nine rebounds, Anthony Davis added 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Tre Johnson scored 15 points off the bench — but the Wizards have now lost five in a row, and the fourth quarter is where this one went.
Indiana also closed the first half in control, scoring 13 of the final 16 points before the break to lead 55-50. The pattern of the night, in the end, was Indiana's finishes: the end of the second quarter and the start of the fourth both belonged to the Pacers, and a tied game through three quarters became a 13-point win.
