Kristaps Porziņģis scored 25 points, and the Washington Wizards went on a 13-4 run in the third quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 133-123.
The Pacers led 67-65 with 9:04 left in the third quarter. Porziņģis’ 11-foot fadeaway put the Wizards ahead for good with 8:03 left in the quarter. They took a 78-71 lead with 5:53 left in the quarter and led by as many as 11.
The Pacers got within 124-121 on Malcolm Brogdon’s 2 free throws with 1:35 to play, but Porziņģis answered with a putback dunk, and the Pacers got no closer.
During clutch time, the Wizards outscored the Pacers 13-4. Porziņģis scored 4 of the Wizards’ 13 on 2 for 2 shooting.
Kyle Kuzma had 23 points (12 in the paint) and 8 assists, and Ish Smith added 13 points and a season-high 9 assists on 6 for 8 shooting off the bench. The Wizards had 7 players in double-digit scoring.
For the Pacers, Brogdon scored 27 points, and Goga Bitadze added a career-high 20 points (15 in the second quarter) off the bench. Jalen Smith scored 15 points on 7 for 9 shooting off the bench.
The Wizards shot 52.3% from the field and 40.5% from 3 to the Pacers’ 51.8% and 32.3%. The Pacers forced 6 turnovers, about 7 fewer than usual for this many possessions. The Pacers’ starters were outscored 23-10 in 8 minutes together.