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The Washington Wizards demolished the Indiana Pacers 142-115 on Thursday to take the last Eastern Conference playoff seed at Capital One Arena.
The Wizards were led by Bradley Beal, the league's second-leading scorer this season, with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field. The NBA's triple-double leader, Russell Westbrook, registered 18 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds. The two stars showed up for the game with their season on the line after both had poor shooting games in Boston on Tuesday.
The versatile Domantas Sabonis recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. However, his efforts went for naught as he couldn't prevent a big meltdown by his Indiana Pacers team. Malcolm Brogdon led them in scoring with 24 points.
Russell Westbrook takes charge of the Washington Wizards
The game was close in the first quarter, with the Washington Wizards barely in the lead at 30-29.
The Wizards then found their rhythm and blew the game wide open in the second quarter. Westbrook took matters into his own hands, dishing the rock to teammates, grabbing missed shots and creating chances for himself. His efforts ended with the team leading the Indiana Pacers 66-52 at the end of the first half.
Here are a few Twitter reactions to Westbrook's and the Washington Wizards' performance:
Washington Wizards demolish Indiana Pacers in second half
After their impressive performance against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, you would think that the Indiana Pacers would put up a better fight in the second half against the Washington Wizards. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case on Thursday night.
The Indiana Pacers let the Washington Wizards run them down, and the game was over way before the final buzzer sounded.
Here are more Twitter reactions to the Wizards' performance on the night:
Daniel Gafford continued to play well for the Washington Wizards, who traded for him at the deadline. His defense fueled his team's fiery run in the first half, where he registered all five of his blocks.
The Indiana Pacers played tentatively whenever he was in the lane, and it affected the way they played in the second half. Gafford had 15 points and 13 rebounds in an impressive performance that got fans talking about him.
Here's how NBA Twitter reacted to Gafford's performance:
One of the funniest moments in the game was when the fans chanted MVP whenever someone was at the line. We can, of course, allow them to indulge in this moment since their Washington Wizards are headed for the playoffs.
Ultimately, this was a team effort for the Washington Wizards as they eliminated the Indiana Pacers from playoff contention.
Here are some more Twitter reactions to the Wizards' victory:
The Washington Wizards will be facing the Philadelphia 76ers in a best-of-seven match in the first round of the playoffs, beginning on Sunday. This will be their first meeting in the postseason since 1986.
Guess the Lakers players!
