After a LeBron James buzzer-beating tip-in spoiled Indiana’s prospect of a perfect homestand, the Pacers head on the road Thursday to meet the Washington Wizards.
Both Indiana and Washington are playing the second leg of back-to-back sets, coming off different results.
The Pacers (42-30) concluded a five-game homestand at 4-1 after a 120-119 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Indiana battled back from a 17-point deficit, only to fall on James’ put-back of a Luka Doncic miss at the final second.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle used the bench extensively in the loss, getting 11 players minutes, with eight logging at least 12 minutes.
Pacers reserve Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points, his fourth game with at least 22 points in the team’s past six. He led the seven Pacers who ended up in double figures against the Lakers.
Jarace Walker, who scored five points in eight minutes of action, could see significant minutes on Thursday.
“I’m proud of the way he’s kept himself ready,” Carlisle said of Walker. “He’s figured out what this league is all about. It’s about always keeping your edge, always keeping prepared.
“I had talked to him (on Tuesday) about this set of two games,” Carlisle added. “He would need to be ready. The Washington game is a tough back-to-back. We’ll need him on that one, as well.”
Washington (16-56) had its own reserve see a significant role on Wednesday with Colby Jones scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds in 28 minutes of playing time. He scored on buzzer-beating 3-pointers to end the first and third quarters, helping the Wizards end a five-game losing streak with a 119-114 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
“He understood time and score, what the clock was, he could actually pump-fake and still be able to get both those shots up,” Washington coach Brian Keefe said of Jones. “Pretty impressive.”
Jones joined the Wizards in a three-team trade last month, and made his debut with the team on March 11. He has seen an increasing role lately, and he produced a career-high 24-point game against the Utah Jazz on March 19 and a 3-for-3 shooting performance against the New York Knicks on Saturday.
In the Wizards’ Wednesday win, Alex Sarr, Justin Champagnie and Jordan Poole each sank four 3-pointers. Sarr topped the team with 24 points, Poole finished with 18 points, and Champagnie added 18 points with 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
The Wizards will open a five-game homestand on Thursday. They have dropped their first two matchups with the Pacers this season, falling 115-103 at Indianapolis on Nov. 24, then 134-130 in overtime at home on Feb. 12.
Poole scored 42 points in the latter meeting, one of three games in which Washington’s leading scorer has broken the 40-point mark this season.
Poole is averaging 20.5 points per game for a Wizards offense that is putting up 108.7 on the season — the fourth-lowest figure in the NBA. Indiana ranks eighth in the league at 116.6 points per contest.
