|
 Coach Eddie Jordan went to his bench early and often, getting 31 points from Roger Mason, 14 from rookie Nick Young and little resistance from the Pacers' defense.
The Wizards, who have won five of six, entered the game with a chance to gain home-court advantage in their upcoming first-round playoff series against Cleveland. Even so, Washington gave Gilbert Arenas the night off and gave Caron Butler another night to recover from a bruised knee.
And the Cavaliers won in Philadelphia to guarantee finishing ahead of Washington in the Eastern Conference.
Once the game was under way, the starters frequently gave way to the reserves, creating a remarkably casual feel given its playoff implications. Before a crowd that mostly sat on its hands, the Wizards' reserves outscored the starters 70-47. The disparity was even greater after DeShawn Stevenson left early in the second half with a sore back.
The Pacers needed to win their last two games and have Atlanta lose two straight to make the playoffs. They didn't put up much of a fight until the very end. The Wizards never trailed, led by 17 in the second quarter, by 22 in the third and by 18
-- 101-83 -- early in the fourth. They didn't let Indiana within double digits again until Danny Granger hit a 3-pointer to make the score 112-105 with 1:11 to play.
David Harrison's dunk cut the lead to six with 29 seconds left, and an 8-second violation by the Wizards was converted into a 3-pointer by Marquis Daniels with 18 seconds to go. But the Wizards made four free throws in the final 20 seconds to hold on.
Then again, the Pacers had to feel lucky to be in the postseason running considering the loss dropped them 11 games below .500 in the mediocre East. They worked themselves into contention by winning four straight earlier this month, but couldn't beat lottery-bound Charlotte on Saturday or Washington's second-team Monday.
[to top of second column] |
Indiana finishes the regular season Wednesday at home against New York, while Washington wraps up the same night at Orlando.
Arenas, playing limited minutes as a reserve since returning from knee surgery, was given a precautionary rest day. Butler missed his second consecutive game with the sore knee.
They weren't missed. Mason was 7-for-9 on 3-pointers, and Andray Blatche grabbed 11 rebounds as Washington dominated the boards 58-31.
Granger had 35 points and nine rebounds to lead the Pacers. Indiana played without center Jeff Foster, who bruised his right knee in the loss to Charlotte.
Notes: The Wizards broke the franchise season record for 3-pointers, making 13 to bring the total to 571. The previous mark was 561, set last season. ... Mason was one point shy of his career high. Granger was two points short of his career best.
[Associated Press; By JOSEPH WHITE]
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
|
