Markieff Morris scored a season-high 26 points, and Marcin Gortat added 14 points and 16 rebounds as Washington overcame a sluggish night from their three best players and their bench to defeat the Pacers 112-107.
After missing Wednesday’s game with a calf injury, Morris made up for lost time with his best all-around performance of the season. He snagged 10 boards, made three of six shots from deep and did a great job carrying the team on both ends after the other four starters logged heavy minutes in Washington’s overtime win in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
Marcin Gortat also came through with one of his best games of the season, grabbing 8 offensive rebounds and thoroughly dominating his matchup against Myles Turner.
Unfortunately the Wizards’ success in the frontcourt didn’t translate to the perimeter. John Wall put up big raw numbers with 26 points and 14 assists, but was also a bit erratic with 7 turnovers and some subpar defensive moments against Jeff Teague. Bradley Beal and Otto Porter both struggled shooting the ball, combining to go 9-22 from the field and just 4-14 from deep. However, they all chipped in to slow down the Pacers’ outside shooting attack, limiting Indiana to 4-21 from beyond the arc.
Morris and Gortat’s success also helped Washington overcome another woeful night from the Wizards’ bench. Of the five players who came off the bench, only two (Trey Burke and Jason Smith) made more than one shot from the field. On the other side, all but one of Indiana’s bench players made at least three shots as the Pacers’ bench outscored the Wizards’ 40-18.
Game Notes
Lineup issues
Ian Mahinmi’s return is a good thing for the Wizards, but his first two games have made it clear Scott Brooks will need to tinker with rotations to find something that works for everyone. The Mahinmi/Jason Smith pairing has had some struggles so far. Neither one creates much on the offensive end and they don’t add much defensive value on the perimeter. Unless they’re playing with Wall, Beal, and Porter, it’s really hard to envision a way that pairing can be adequate.
Kevin Seraphin Revenge Game
Going into Friday’s game, Kevin Seraphin highest scoring game since leaving Washington was a 14 point outing in November 2015 against the Rockets.
He went off for 16 points on 10 shots in this one, and chipped in 7 rebounds and a pair of blocks to boot.
Wiz get fancy in the open floor
Washington started the game very pass-happy, and it led to some nice action when they were able to push the ball in transition. Even Trey Burke got in on the action:
Trey Burke does his best John Wall impression. #WizPacers pic.twitter.com/64mm3Y7jHd
— CSN Wizards (@CSNWizards) February 11, 2017
That said, this was still the best fast break of the night, even if the dunk was a little weird:
The Wizards are out here innovating in-game dunks
— SB Nation (@SBNation) February 11, 2017
@WashWizards pic.twitter.com/ojrvED5GCK