The Washington Wizards (19-19) defeated the Indiana Pacers (22-18) 118-104 on Friday.
The Wizards have already dealt with the loss of an integral component for an extended stretch this season, and that experience is serving them well in the wake of the latest injury to a key cog of their team. Marcin Gortat is dealing with a series of knee complications that includes an infection, and has missed the last three games as a result. In his stead, Nene Hilario has stepped up with three solid performances, but multiple players elevated their respective games on the glass Friday to help make up for the big man's absence. The Wizards managed an outstanding 54 rebounds, including 37 on the defensive end. Meanwhile, Washington also managed to shoot a solid 52.0 percent from the field, and an equally impressive 44 percent from three-point range, leading to a relatively comfortable victory.
John Wall spearheaded the Wizards' attack once again, managing a game-high 28 points and also tallying seven rebounds, eight assists and a steal. No other starter managed double-digit scoring, but Hilario did match his eight points with eight boards, and added two assists, a steal and a block. Garrett Temple made another start in place of Beal, and contributed five points, six rebounds and five assists. However, Beal significantly outplayed him off the bench, posting 22 points, five rebounds and an assist over 22 minutes. DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal pitched in with a pair of 12-point efforts, with the former adding six rebounds, an assist and a pair of steals, and the latter managing four boards and three assists. Ramon Sessions was the fourth reserve with a double-digit point total, stuffing the stat sheet over 23 minutes with 10 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
The Wizards improved to 19-19 and currently reside in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They head to Boston to face the Celtics on Saturday.
The Pacers were paced by Paul George, who tallied 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds, three steals and a block. George Hill, questionable before the game for personal reasons, played 34 minutes and posted 19 points, eight rebounds, an assist and a steal. Monta Ellis made it a solid night for the Indiana backcourt with 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Lavoy Allen led the Indiana reserves with 15 points, three rebounds and an assist.
The Pacers fell to 22-18 and currently reside in third place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They now head to Denver for a Sunday showdown on Sunday.
