The Washington Wizards pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Indiana Pacers 131-118 on Friday night at Capital One Arena, completing a back-to-back sweep and tightening the race at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Alondes Williams delivered a breakout performance in just his 11th NBA game, posting career highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds. The 26-year-old shot 9-for-11 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line after signing a 10-day contract earlier this week.
The fourth-year guard scored 11 points in the final period as the teams entered the quarter tied at 92. He converted an alley-oop dunk off Sharife Cooper’s feed, set up Cooper for a transition layup and knocked down his second 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining to seal the outcome.
Washington shot 55-for-95 from the floor, good for 58 percent, and outrebounded Indiana 48-40. The home side finished with 36 assists on 55 made baskets, a sign of consistent paint touches and ball movement against a defense that struggled to contain dribble penetration.
Cooper matched his career high with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting and added five assists. Tristan Vukcevic contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, while Bilal Coulibaly scored 13 and recorded two blocks.
Indiana stayed within reach behind Jay Huff, who scored 22 points and tied a career best with five 3-pointers on 5-for-8 shooting from deep. Quenton Jackson added 21 points off the bench, and Micah Potter finished with 18 points and five rebounds.
Jarace Walker posted a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double, but the Pacers shot 48 percent overall and 37 percent from beyond the arc despite making 18 3-pointers. The visitors committed 21 turnovers, which led to extra opportunities for the Wizards in a game decided by execution late.
Pascal Siakam missed his second straight game for Indiana due to a nagging left hamstring injury. Washington was without Kyshawn George, who sat with a sprained left toe after logging 19 minutes the previous night.
With the win, the Wizards improved to 15-40 and moved two games ahead of the Pacers (16-41) in the Eastern Conference standings while sitting a half-game in front of the Brooklyn Nets, who played later in the evening. Indiana dropped to 2-4 on its six-game road trip.
The Pacers return home to host Dallas on Sunday, while Washington remains at Capital One Arena to face Charlotte.
