Wizards vs. Pacers final score: Washington falls to Indiana 115-103

Alex Sarr put up a double-double but it wasn’t enough for Washington in Indiana

The Wizards just can’t seem to get out of their current losing streak. They lost 115-103 to the Indiana Pacers in a game tighter than the final score indicates. The Pacers finally took control of the game in the 3rd quarter due to a rash of DC turnovers. But Washington kept fighting to reduce the deficit to two points with 8:46 left in the fourth. Then, the Wizards failed to score for the next three minutes as Indiana put together a 12-4 run to seal the game. The win ended a three-game losing streak for Indiana. Washington’s losing streak is now at 11 games.

Jordan Poole sat out due to hip flexor soreness, so Malcolm Brogdon took over the starting point guard responsibilities and Kyshawn George stepped back into the starting lineup. With the steadier Brogdon at the helm, the Wizards only committed 5 turnovers in the first half. But, seven turnovers in the third quarter allowed the Pacers to take control with transition bucket after transition bucket. Washington kept fighting in the fourth quarter with Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr leading the charge, but could not put enough stops together to get the upper hand.

Sarr finished with one of his better games as a Wizards. He put up 17 points and 14 rebounds plus 3 assists and 3 stocks (steals+blocks). Sarr struggled out of the gate, going 2-for-7 in the first half. But he shot 5-of-8 and grabbed 9 rebounds in the second half, including a good-looking triple. He still struggled at times, especially when guarding Indiana backup center Moses Brown. Coulibaly also started slow but found his aggression to finish with 17 points, 13 of which came in the second half. This defensive possession and ensuing break were one of the night’s highlights.

On the flip side, the Wizards struggled to get stops in a variety of ways. Their transition defense was slow and unorganized. In the half court, it felt like any Pacer could drive to the rim relatively unabated. Indiana scored 56 points in the paint, which is the fourth-highest PITP total given up by DC this season. Tyrese Haliburton got loose for 21 points and 9 assists, including 5 threes. Pascal Siakam added 22 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds while Moses Brown dominated the 12 minutes he played with 15 points and 4 rebounds.

The Wizards come back home to Capital One Arena to play the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday at 7:30. Hang out with us on Playback for any of the upcoming games! We get excited when the games are close and can talk about anything we want if the games are not close. Happy early Thanksgiving!