WASHINGTON (AP) — After the work Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal
and the rest of the Washington Wizards did to reach the NBA's
play-in round, all will be for naught with a loss to the visiting
Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.
So what if Washington went 17-6 down the stretch to end up
eighth in the Eastern Conference standings after being 17-32 in
early April? So what if Westbrook averaged a triple-double, broke
Oscar Robertson's record for most career games with that
statistical achievement and led the league in assists? So what if
Beal finished second in scoring at 31.3 ppg?
And so what if the Wizards went 3-0 against the Pacers? If
Domantas Sabonis leads Indiana to victory in Thursday's
win-or-go-home game, that's who will move on to face the East's No.
1 seed, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, in the
playoffs.
“We were a long way from even thinking about this seven weeks
ago,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said Wednesday. “But the grit and
the toughness and determination and stick-togetherness that we’ve
shown and displayed over the last seven weeks put us in this
position to play the Pacers on our home court to advance into the
playoffs to face the Sixers.”
Thursday's loser is done.
“I’m confident. I’m sure my teammates are, too,” Beal said after
Washington allowed 50 points to Jayson Tatum in a
118-100 loss at Boston in a play-in opener Tuesday. “But we
can’t talk about it. We’ve got to go out there and compete.”
The Pacers, meanwhile, ended up 10th in the East despite having
the conference's best road mark (21-15). They extended their season
by overwhelming the Charlotte Hornets 144-117.
With Westbrook and Beal making things go, Washington averaged
116.6 points to finish third in the league in scoring, trailing
only Milwaukee and Brooklyn.
Like most opponents, Indiana was unable to quiet Washington's
offense, giving up an average of 139.7 points in their three
meetings.
Asked what the biggest challenge is that the Wizards pose,
Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren replied: “The speed at which they
play."
“It’s a very big game for us to play at the tempo we want to
play at," said Bjorkgren, in his first season with Indiana,
“because Russell will get that rebound and they’ll push it. So
transition (defense) is No. 1.”
The Wizards are a 3-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
WHO'S HEALTHY AND WHO'S NOT
One key element in this matchup is health — for both teams.
Westbrook didn't seem himself for much of the Boston loss; he
ended up with five assists, less than half of his 11.7 average,
shot just 6 for 18, and went to the locker room early. “A lot of
nicks and bruises, but I'll be all right,” he said.
Beal wore four compression sleeves on his strained left
hamstring, which kept him out of three of Washington's last four
regular-season games, and acknowledged afterward, “I can’t be as
explosive as I want to.”
Bjorkgren said Wednesday he would prepare as if the Pacers would
be without all four players who sat out against Charlotte:
second-leading scorer
Caris LeVert (COVID-19 protocols), NBA blocks leader Myles
Turner (right foot), T.J. Warren (left foot) and Jeremy Lamb (left
knee).
Guard Malcolm Brogdon, who averages 21.2 points and 5.9 assists,
missed Indiana's last 10 regular-season games because of an injured
right hamstring but returned Tuesday. He knows the sorts of
limitations Beal is dealing with.
“There is a bit of hesitation when you're out there. There are
things you're not going to do,” Brogdon said after his 16-point,
eight-assist game against the Hornets. “I wasn’t going to go for
any rebounds in the crowd. I'm not jumping as high as I can.
Consciously and unconsciously, you're actually thinking of stuff to
avoid.”
MISFIRING LASER
Davis Bertans, aka the "Latvian Laser," is a career 40% shooter
from 3-point range but went 0 for 7 against Boston.
That was part of a 3-for-21 evening from beyond the arc for
Washington.
“Every shooter (has) some cold nights,” Bertans said. “This was
one of them.”
DOMINANT DOMAS
Indiana's offense runs through 6-foot-11 point forward Sabonis,
who delivered 14 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists before taking
an early seat in Tuesday's blowout.
“This is the best time of the year to be playing,” said Sabonis,
twice an All-Star in five NBA seasons and the son of former
Portland Trail Blazers star Arvydas Sabonis.
The younger Sabonis is the first player since Kevin Garnett in
2002-03 to average more than 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists
in a season.
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AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen in Boston and Michael Marot in
Indianapolis contributed.
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