Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
Each and every game the Wizard play for the remainder of the season has two meanings, those, well.. playoffs and position. Tonight, they controlled part of their own destiny by taking the season series from the Indiana Pacers with a 109-102 victory.
Prior to the start of tonight’s game Bradley Beal let everyone know how important this game was tonight.
“It’s a must-win for both teams,” Beal said. “I know we definitely want to have it because we want to be seeded higher than them when the time comes.”
If the Wizards and Pacers finish tied for fourth in the East and have the same record, the series could include four games at Capital One Arena,
Bradley Beal led the way with an efficient 19 point performance, but the rest of the roster chipped in as well. Marcin Gortat had his best game since the All-Star break with 18 points and 8 rebounds, Kelly Oubre added 16 off the bench, and Tomas Satoransky finished with 12 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. The team’s stellar ball movement led to good looks for everyone throughout the game.
“I like what our guys were able to accomplish tonight,” said Wizards Head Coach Scott Brooks. “We have done some great things over the past few weeks and hope we can continue to make it happen as we finish out the next few weeks and battle for position.”
The Pacers had a solid effort from both Victor Oladipo and Lance Stevenson, but the balance of their team came up short late in the fourth quarter, with Oladipo sitting for quite a few minutes in the fourth quarter as if the Pacers had given up hope of getting any closer in the final two minutes.
The Wizards travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. ET.
