INDIANAPOLIS — Washington’s basketball franchise hadn’t experienced the pleasure of winning a second-round playoff game since the Reagan administration and hadn’t won a game of any kind in Indiana since George W. Bush was in office, but when the Wizards arrived at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday for their Eastern Conference semifinal game against the Indiana Pacers, they were more concerned with making history than allowng past failures to haunt them.
The Wizards were rested and ready for the top-seeded Pacers, jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 102-96 victory that scratched two glaring and embarrassing marks off the list. Bradley Beal scored a game-high 25 points and Trevor Ariza had 22 as the Wizards won their fourth straight road game in the playoffs and took a one-game-to-none lead in this best-of-seven series.
Washington won a second-round playoff game for the first time since 1982 — before all but three members of the team were born — and also snapped a 12-game losing streak in Indiana, dating from April 11, 2007.
Beal became the first player in NBA history to have three playoff games with at least 25 points before his 21st birthday, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. Ariza took his matchup against Paul George personally, limiting the all-star forward to 18 points on 4-of-17 shooting. Ariza also matched his own franchise playoff record with six three-pointers while setting a new mark for most made threes without a miss, breaking the previous record of four set by Kevin Grevey for the Bullets in 1982.
Drew Gooden — one of three players on the Wizards’ roster with NBA Finals experience — was used sparingly in the first round, with Coach Randy Wittman relying on the hustle of Trevor Booker to help them match the physicality of the Chicago Bulls. The Pacers, however, presented a favorable matchup for Washington given Gooden’s ability to rebound and spread the floor. During a timeout, a Pacers fan told Gooden he thought he had vanished from the NBA. Gooden, who was picked up from his couch in late February, laughed and said, “I did, but they pulled me back in.” He scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in just 17 minutes of action.
Marcin Gortat said before the game he hoped former Georgetown center Roy Hibbert would continue his postseason vanishing act, claiming that he’d be okay if Hibbert finished with two points and no rebounds. The Pacers would’ve preferred to have that much production from Hibbert, who finished scoreless with no rebounds and five personal fouls in 18 minutes. Gortat had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Nene had 15 points and John Wall had 13 points and nine rebounds.
The Wizards had five days to get prepared for the second round after quickly eliminating the Chicago Bulls in five games, a series victory that did wonders for their confidence. Indiana had been an unforgiving place for Washington over the past seven years, with the team routinely collecting blowout losses and coming back for more. This regular season was no different as the Wizards had the third-lowest scoring total in franchise history with 66 points in one game, notched a measly 73 in the other and got blown out by a combined 47 points.
But when the teams met in Washington in late March, the Wizards figured out the best way to beat the plodding Pacers was to run them out of the gym. They had 18 fast-break points in a 91-78 victory after combining to have just five fast break points. Wall said the plan was to “make those guys run a lot.”
When asked if the Wizards could actually do that, Wittman repeatedly said, “We’ll see.”
Ariza got the Wizards off to the best possible start by draining two three-pointers to open the game. Wall then fed Gortat cutting to the basket for a layup to put the Wizards ahead 8-0 and force Pacers Coach Frank Vogel to call a timeout. The pause in action did little to disrupt the Wizards as they continued to build upon the lead, going ahead 23-10 when Ariza hit his third three-pointer of the period. Ariza hit another long jumper to put the Wizards up 28-15 as the Wizards led after one period for the sixth straight game this postseason.
Wall was in complete control in the first quarter as he scored six points and handed out five assists. But Wall and Ariza both sat to start the second period and the lead quickly vanished. Getting a huge lift from David West and their reserves, the Pacers went on a 16-2 run to start the quarter and took their first lead of the game, 31-30, behind two Evan Turner free throws.
The Wizards proved to have the appropriate counter, with Nene making a driving layup and a jumper over Hibbert. Ariza hit two more three-pointers and gave the Wizards a 49-39 lead. Beal buried another three-pointer to put the Wizards up 11 and Gooden made a jumper to send them into the locker room with a 56-43 lead.
If the Pacers fans hadn’t already seen the home team lose two playoff games to the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, they might’ve been surprised by the Wizards’ first-half onslaught. But the home-court flameout has been a tradition in recent weeks for Indiana, which finished with the NBA’s best home record in the regular season but is now 4-4 in its past eight at home.
The Wizards won all three of their playoff games in Chicago and have the look of a more determined team away from Verizon Center. Ariza put the Wizards ahead, 68-52, with a free throw but Pacers came alive with West once again leading the away by scoring six points during a 10-0 run. After finding the answer to the Pacers’ runs all night, the Wizards had another with Andre Miller burying a three-pointer to give them a 74-62 lead.
Luis Scola hit a short jumper to bring the Pacers within 80-73, but Beal responded with a pull-up jumper in the lane. After George made a three-point play, Beal hit a three-pointer from the left corner and another near the top of the key to give the Wizards a 90-78 lead. Gooden followed with a rebound tip-in to extend the lead to 12. But the Wizards were unable to pull away as Beal inexplicably missed three consecutive free throws, including one that didn’t touch the rim.