Washington Bullies Indiana En Route To 8th Seed! 5.20.21
It’s the 3rd day of NBA play-in action and we have the 3rd and final game of the play-in on the Eastern Conference, the battle for the 8th seed between Washington and Indiana.
Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards
Paint Defense
Without Myles Turner, the Pacers had no rim protection. Against the Wizards, a team who loves to get to the rim? It was a massacre. The Wizards attacked Sabonis in the pick and roll and just got whatever they wanted. Indiana’s offense never going and this was game over at halftime. It’s probably better that Indiana gets a higher pick because they have holes. They need more defense and bench depth and a draft pick helps them get those needs. I don’t know what happens with Nate Bjorkgren, but I doubt he gets fired. It’s only been one year. Maybe if there’s no Covid you can truly assess him. But this ends a very weird roller-coaster year for Indiana.
Domianting
The Wizards are good at scoring in the paint. The Pacers can’t defend the paint. Guess how the game went? The Wizards dominated after the first half. They led by 14 at the half, scoring 40 of their 66 points in the paint in that first half. They added 48 more in the 3rd to blow the game open for good, leading by 38 at one point as they emphatically punch their tickets to the postseason.
Washington won at everything. They outscored the Pacers by 32 down low, 72-40. 16-5 in fast-break points. 63-43 in bench points. 22-15 in points of turnovers. Pure domination.
25 for Beal who looked a lot better in this game than he did in Boston. 18-15-8 for Westbrook who played a smarter game, doing things that he wanted to do, not letting the defense dictate that. Hachimura had 18, 14 for Neto.
15 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks (all in first half) for Daniel Gafford who has been so good off the bench for Washington. It’s been a turbulent year for the Wizards, but they are in the playoffs. Sure they’re going to get smacked by Philly, but they aren’t in the lottery for the first time since the 2018 season.
What Are Your Thoughts From The Game Tonight? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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