Bradley Beal scored 25 points, Jeff Green added 23 to lead another productive night from Washington’s bench, and the Wizards beat the reeling Indiana Pacers 107-89 on Wednesday night.
Green had 16 points in the first half to help spell Beal, who came in second in the NBA in minutes at 37.2 per game, and the Wizards’ reserves scored 58 points. Washington’s second unit also led a fourth-quarter rally that just fell short against Cleveland a night earlier.
Chasson Randle matched his career high with 13 points for Washington.
Thaddeus Young scored 13 points for the Pacers. They are 0-3 since a victory over Toronto in which leading scorer Victor Oladipo suffered a season-ending knee injury. Indiana fell to fourth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind Philadelphia and a half-game ahead of fifth-place Boston.
Indiana could easily fall further if coach Nate McMillan can’t find a way to compensate for the absence of Oladipo, who averaged 18.8 points per game. The Pacers lacked a go-to scorer, with Bojan Bogdanovic, Doug McDermott and TJ Leaf chipping in 12 apiece.
The Wizards never trailed after a 10-0 run in the first quarter that put them ahead 24-18. Washington pushed its lead to 22 points in the third quarter. Indiana briefly cut it to 10 but never got closer.
PORTER HURT AGAIN
The Wizards, already missing John Wall, Dwight Howard and Markieff Morris, had another injury when Otto Porter Jr. landed awkwardly after a rebound early in the third quarter. He was diagnosed with a sprained left big toe and did not return.
Porter missed 10 games earlier this season with a knee injury, and he had come off the bench in 13 games since then. He started Wednesday night for the first time since Dec. 10 at Indiana but ended up scoring three points in 16 minutes.
TIP-INS
Pacers: McMillan gave two-way player Edmond Sumner his second career start. Sumner committed three quick fouls and finished with seven points in 22 minutes. “The challenge is just getting familiar with our guys,” Sumner said. … The Pacers fell to 7-7 overall without Oladipo this season.
Wizards: Coach Scott Brooks said Tuesday night’s loss at Cleveland was the first time “in probably over a month” that he’d had to talk to his team about its lack of effort. Coincidentally or not, it’s been just over a month since Washington’s highest-paid player, Wall, was last in the lineup. Wall, who was never fully healthy this season, last played on Dec. 26 and underwent season-ending surgery on his left heel on Jan. 8. … Wall signed autographs at halftime, his left knee resting on a scooter and his foot in a plastic boot. … Washington improved to 11-8 without Wall after going 11-21 with him. … Morris, out since Dec. 28 with a neck injury, signed autographs and took selfies with fans before the game.
UP NEXT
Pacers: At Orlando on Thursday night, the second of a four-game, six-night trip.
Wizards: Host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
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