Wizards vs. Pacers Final Score: Washington draws first blood and wins, 102-96

The Washington Wizards won their first playoff game in the second round since 1982. They beat the Indiana Pacers, 102-96, in a game they controlled from start to finish.

Bradley Beal scored 25 points, 14 in the fourth quarter, and Drew Gooden, who played sparingly in the first round, also made two crucial tip-ins off some hard-fought offensive rebounds to put this game out of reach. John Wall did not have the best shooting game, only scoring 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting, but he had nine assists and only one turnover. Trevor Ariza was quiet in the fourth quarter, but he scored 22 points and made all six of his three pointers.

Even though the final score appears rather close, it really wasn't that way. The Wizards threatened to make this game a blowout early when they got to a 28-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. At the same time, the Pacers also started off really, really cold. They made only 5-of-23 shots from the field. Paul George was blocked on a number of shots, including this one:

John Wall ain't scared of you, Paul George. http://t.co/dGvJmTCA26

— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) May 5, 2014

Now THAT's our point guard right there.

In the second quarter, the Pacers made a big run, but the Wizards still had an answer to get the game back in their control. The Pacers made another run in the third quarter while Nene had to sit after earning his fourth personal foul of the game, but again, the Wizards had an answer and their defense did the rest.

Washington still has three more wins to go in this series, but I'm really impressed with this win. Time to celebrate the franchise's first win in the second round in over 30 years!