Washington
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Wizards fell 79-76to the Pacers Sunday after beating the Magic 111-102on Friday night to finish the weekend with a 1-1 split and a 41-31 record, tied with Cleveland but in fifth place for the playoffs behind the Cavs at fourth because of a tie-breaker.
What killed the Wizards in the fourth quarter of the Pacers game was the suddenly revitalized three-point shooting of their opponents. After holding the Pacers to just 2-of-20 from behind the line, a small slip gave Indiana the slightest of all edges and three different Pacers combined to his a whole host of treys to make a quick 12-0 run and take the game away from Washington.
Larry Hughes was way below his average in scoring, being held to just 12 points. It wasn't for lack of attempts: he put up nearly as many as Gilbert Arenas, who finished with 22 points, but his shots simply wouldn't drop. Hughes finished 3-of-16 from the field, and only one of those was from downtown.
In the end, the Wizards only won one quarter: the third, when they rocketed to a 30-point outburst compared to just 24 for the Pacers. Every other quarter was to Indiana's advantage.
NEXT GAME
The Wizards (41-31, second in the Southeast) host the Boston Celtics (39-34, first in the Atlantic) tomorrow night, Tuesday, April 5th. The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on CSN and NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
Jon Siegel ofThe Washington Times notes: JAMISON WATCH: Forward Antawn Jamison could return as early as tomorrow when Boston comes to town. The absent member of the team's "Big Three" has missed the last 11 games with tendinitis in his right knee.
INJURY UPDATE
Antawn Jamison(knee),Jarvis Hayes(knee), andBrendan Haywood (thumb fracture) are all on the injured list.Anthony Peeler(knee) is out indefinitely.
Michael Lee ofThe Washington Postwrites: Washington Wizards reserve Damone Brown was in the National Basketball Developmental League three weeks ago, but he was the player taking the final shot to force overtime for a team fighting for playoff positioning yesterday afternoon at MCI Center.Brown, playing on his second 10-day contract, missed a fall-away 28-foot heave at the buzzer -- and that arguably wasn't the most bizarre sight during a 79-76 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Jon Siegel ofThe Washington Times writes:KEY NUMBER 29 Season-low points in a half for the Wizards, who matched a first-quarter low with 11.The previous low for a half was 30 on Jan. 24 at Cleveland. Washington shot 20 percent (five of 25) in the first quarter and 26.8 percent in the half. The Pacers also had 29 at intermission, the lowest Washington has allowed this season.
Jon Siegel ofThe Washington Timeswrites: The Washington Wizards blew an eight-point lead in the final six minutes of a 79-76 loss yesterday to Indiana before a sell-out crowd at MCI Center.The Pacers captured an important game in their playoff run while temporarily denying the Wizards their first winning season in seven campaigns. "They just lulled us and just waited for the last two minutes of the game," said Washington guard Gilbert Arenas, who saw his team's four-game winning streak end. "The way they beat us is the same way they beat San Antonio and Detroit and Miami. They just slowed the ball up and played their game."
The Associated Press writes inThe Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: The Pacers made three three-pointers during a big 16-2 run in the fourth.Johnson capped the spurt with four free throws to make it 77-71, but Larry Hughes pulled the Wizards to 77-73 on a breakaway dunk with 1:05 remaining. Nonetheless, Indiana was able to hold off the rally for its third straight win and seventh in the last 10 games.