Recap: Wizards fall short vs. Indiana, suffer first home loss 127-117

The Wizards got here into tonight’s sport towards the Pacers with a 2-0 file at Capital One Area, however ended up shedding a troublesome battle on Friday night time by a remaining rating of 127-117.

Issues bought going rapidly for each groups. The Wizards scored 13 factors within the first three minutes of the sport, however the Pacers answered rapidly. Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton had been robust matchups all night time, placing strain on the Wizards’ perimeter defenders, and making it rain from deep. Rapidly, it was 27-15 in favor of the Pacers, and the Wizards had been struggling to string collectively consecutive stops.

That was a theme all night time. Hield and Haliburton mixed for 50 factors on 19-of-33 capturing from the sector and 8-of-15 capturing from three.

The excellent news for the Wizards is that the offense was efficient for a lot of the sport. Washington had 60 factors at halftime, which is often a very good mark. The dangerous information is that they struggled a lot defensively that they had been nonetheless down by 15 after surrendering 75 first-half factors.

This was the primary sport the Wizards have performed since Delon Wright suffered a hamstring pressure that can sideline him indefinitely. His absence was noticeable. Washington missed his aggressive model of on-ball protection that makes life troublesome on opposing ball handlers, however Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. made it identified that their defensive deficiencies weren’t solely due to Wright’s absence.

“You are going to miss your backup level guard each night time,” stated Unseld Jr. “It wasn’t our greatest defensive effort, however I do not put all of that on Delon. I simply did not assume we had the appropriate mindset from the beginning. When a staff will get on a rhythm of that magnitude, it is not one particular person’s duty. That is all people.”

Within the second half, issues cleaned up defensively for the Wizards, and so they did their greatest to claw their approach again into the sport.

Monte Morris struggled together with his shot, however he performed the function of a traditional level guard, shelling out a career-high 12 dimes and solely turning the ball over as soon as.

Bradley Beal was aggressive in in search of his personal shot. He completed with 31 factors on 11-of-18 capturing from the sector and 2-of-5 capturing from 3-point vary to go together with seven rebounds, 4 assists, three steals, and one block.

The Wizards made mini runs within the second half, incessantly getting the Pacers’ result in single digits, however in the end, the Pacers answered each Wizards run with a run of their very own.

“We got here out overconfident perhaps that we had been going to get it carried out, and towards a staff like that, as soon as they begin capturing, it is robust,” Kristaps Porzingis stated postgame. “After which in fact within the second half, we gave what we had, and that was higher. That was higher. However nonetheless, it is exhausting to play uphill like that. So, be taught from this one and onto the subsequent one.”

Subsequent up for the Wizards is a troublesome matchup towards the Celtics in Boston on Sunday night time.