Washington fought hard but fell late
The Washington Wizards lost to the Indiana Pacers 104-98 on Tuesday, dropping to 17-62 on the season.
The Wizards came out hot in the opening frame, making 12 of their first 18 shots to take a 14-point lead entering the second quarter. Alex Sarr couldn’t miss, scoring 16 points on a near-perfect 7-8 FG. The rookie finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks on 8-17 FG.
Indiana clawed back in the second behind a barrage from Pascal Siakam to tie the game 48-48 at halftime.
Washington stole back momentum to begin the second half, bursting out to an 11-0 run to take another double-digit lead. The Wizards maintained that advantage until the final minutes of the frame, as Indiana cut its deficit to just one entering the fourth quarter.
A pivotal moment occurred in the third frame when Bub Carrington used a mean behind-the-back move to drop Tyrese Haliburton. The rookie stepped back, relaxed and drilled a 3-pointer to cap the highlight-reel play.
Unlike these teams’ last contest, where Indiana scored 83 points in the first half en route to a 162-point showing, Washington’s defense stymied the Pacers, holding them to just 72 points through three quarters.
The Wizards led for most of the frame until Brian Keefe went full tank mode, resting Jordan Poole for the entire fourth quarter while sitting rookies Sarr and Kyshawn George down the stretch, as Indiana pulled ahead late behind a pair of Haliburton threes to steal the win.
With the loss, Washington clinched a bottom-three record, which means they have locked up a 14% chance at winning the No. 1 pick. Their odds for the top-four picks are now locked in:
No. 1: 14.0%
No. 2: 13.4%
No. 3: 12.7%
No. 4: 12.0%
They have also clinched a top-seven selection.