Wizards unable to maintain fast start, lose to Pacers in overtime

Obi Toppin scored 31 points and 10 grabbed rebounds, both season highs, to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 134-130 overtime win against the Washington Wizards.
The Pacers trailed by 19 points during the third quarter but mounted a comeback by outscoring the Wizards 36-23 during the fourth quarter. Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points — including 11 in the fourth quarter — and Tyrese Haliburton added 20 points to complete the Pacers’ rally.
Jordan Poole led the way for Washington with 42 points, and nearly won the game for the home team, but his buzzer-beating attempt at the end of regulation missed the mark. Corey Kispert chipped in with 21 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Wizards’ 11-game home losing streak.
Indiana seized control of the game on a Toppin three-pointer with 1:26 left in overtime that increased their lead to nine points, which was too much for the Wizards to overcome. The Pacers head into the All-Star break in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-23 record. The Wizards, meanwhile, having lost four games in a row and are now a league-worst 9-45 on the season.
In injury news, Pacers center Myles Turner missed his third straight game with a cervical strain, while Wizards rookie Alex Sarr returned from an eight-game absence due to a left ankle sprain to score nine points on 3-of-13 shooting, with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Although Sarr returned to action, Washington finished the game without two of his teammates, after Malcolm Brogdon (left ankle sprain) and Justin Champagnie (post-traumatic headache) exited the game due to injury.
Veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, who were acquired at the trade deadline from Milwaukee and Memphis, respectfully, have yet to make their debut for Washington.







