The Washington Wizards are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Wizards stamped their ticket to the eighth seed after blowing out the Indiana Pacers in Thursday’s play-in game.
Russell Westbrook had 18 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Bradley Beal scored a game-high 25 points as the Wizards cruised to a 142-115 win over the Pacers. Oh, and the two created an epic moment.
Washington went a perfect 4-0 this season against the Pacers, scoring at least 132 points in each game.
The win slots Washington into a best-of-seven series with the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Philadelphia 76ers.
Here’s three takeaways from the Wizards emphatic win.
Daniel Gafford was the Player of the Game
Westbrook was two rebounds shy of a triple-double and Beal showed signs his hamstring is getting better by being the best scorer on the floor. But, it was Daniel Gafford who was the MVP of the night. The Wizards center was a brick wall on the defensive end.
Gafford gobbled 13 rebounds and blocked five shots, all in the first half. His presence dictated the shot selection of the Pacers throughout the game. His block of Malcolm Brogdon just before halftime illustrated the kind of night the former Chicago Bull had.
He also contributed on the offensive end, scoring 15 points on an impressive 6-of-8 shooting from the field. That’s in large due to his ability to roll and attack the basket inside. There was no question he was the most impactful player on the court.
Pacers had no answers for the Wizards
The Wizards offense was a well-oiled machine Thursday night. The Pacers literrally had no answers to anything Washington did. The Wizards did whatever they wanted on offense.
They did a great job of spacing the floor, stretching out the Pacers defense and attacking the lane for easy buckets. Westbrook got to the paint whenever he chose, and when Indiana helped, the kickouts for threes were there.
Washington shot 58.1% from the field (it was higher before the starters were pulled). That included shooting 14-of-28 for 50% from three. The Wizards also outscored the Pacers 72-40 in the paint. It was nothing the Wizards couldn’t do on offense.
Even on the defensive end the Wizards dominated. The Wizards were able to guard tight on the perimeter with Gafford anchoring the backside. Thus, the Pacers were searching for open looks and they weren’t there. As a result, the Pacers shot 15-of-41 from three.
Scott Brooks had perfect rotation
Give credit where credit is due. Often times Wizards head coach Scott Brooks gets the balk of blame when things don’t go right. However, when the Wizards win, he is often omitted from the praise.
Thursday night Brooks pushed all he right buttons with his rotation, particularly at center. He threw out Robin Lopez when he needed offense inside. Lopez had a strong nine minutes in which he shot 4-of-5 from the field off the strength of his hook shot.
Alex Len, who started the game gave a productive 13 minutes. In turn he scored four points on 2-of-2 shooting but more importantly he grabbed rebounds with seven.
Throw in what Gafford did and the Wizards three bigs combined for 28 points, 23 rebounds and seven blocks Collectively they were a plus-35 in the game. Washington won by 27 points.
There were other wise choices in Brooks’ rotation, such as riding Chandler Hutchison for 20 strong minutes or mixing and matching the guards, highlighted by Ish Smith having a plus-26 with eight points, six assists and four rebounds in 22 minutes.
