SPORTS INSIDER – Wizards on the brink of elimination, need a win
May 12, 2014
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
The Wizards’ devastating game 4 loss puts them on brink of elimination. After dropping their first home game of the series and scoring a franchise low 63 points on Friday, the Wizards looked to be back in action Sunday night against the Pacers. They outscored Indiana 29-11 in the second period for a commanding 17-point halftime lead, which they extended to 19 at the start of the second half. Washington’s offense was on fire, and they seemed poised to tie the series at two games apiece.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Despite being down almost 20 points in the third period, the Pacers were unfazed. They chipped at Washington’s lead slowly, led by impressive performances by Paul George and Roy Hibbert, who combined for 43 points in the second half. George was unstoppable from beyond the line, hitting seven 3-pointers on the night.
While Indiana’s offense was dominant in the second half, Washington’s was inconsistent. John Wall scored 18 points in the first half—and zero in the second. And after the Pacers tied it up at 74-74, the Wizards’ bench took command of the game 85-76 before they once again fell apart. George and Hibbert took control of the game by scoring 18 of Indiana’s final 19 points, including two consecutive 3-pointers for George.
With Washington ahead 91-90 with 2:05 left to play, George hit two free throws to put Indiana ahead by a point. A missed layup by Nene followed by a failed 3-pointer by Bradley Beal had the Wizards trailing 94-91 with under a minute to go. Beal was able to hit one of two free throws in the final seconds, but a free throw by Indiana followed by a Washington turnover on a bad inbound pass sealed the Wizards’ fate.
The 95-92 loss is especially disheartening because it places them on the brink of elimination. Trailing 3-1 in the series, the Wizards now have no room for error. They need to win the next two to force a deciding game 7.
“Already in these playoffs, we’ve proven we can win three games in a row,” an optimistic Coach Randy Wittman said. “We did it against Chicago, winning three games in a row. We’ve got to take it one game at a time. We’ve got to go back to Indy, we’ve got to worry about one game and then we’ll worry about game 6 after game 5. Three of the four games have been a dogfight. We’re in the fight, now we just got to win that fight.”
The Wizards head back to Indianapolis for game 5 Tuesday night. If they can pull out a win, game 6 will be Thursday night in D.C.
