Kristaps Porzingis could not have dreamed of a better scenario for his first match in his new colours. On the occasion of the reception of the Pacers, Washington was thus able to count on a reinforcement of choice which also tipped the end of the match, while the Wizards were struggling to conclude.
The former interior of Dallas was also quickly put to work and the Wizards quickly took control of the game. The flight of Daniel Gafford and the 3-pointers of the KCP-Kispert-Kuzma trio confirmed the trend (26-17). Until the awakening of the Pacers initiated by Malcolm Brogdon with two assists and a 2 + 1 at the end of the first quarter, then an untenable Goga Bitadze in the second act.
The Georgian interior signs 15 points in 12 minutes at 100% on shots, and it feeds a 14-2 which has completely reversed the trend (40-48). So Indiana took the lead at halftime (57-61).
The Wizards responded after the break with an 8-2 concluded by 3-pointers from Kristaps Porzingis (65-63). The collective of the premises then contributed to accentuate the gap to +9 with 12 minutes of the term (96-87). Often on the verge of cracking, the Pacers held on until the end, preserving the suspense thanks to two consecutive 3-point baskets from Buddy Hield and the brilliant inspirations of the Brogdon-Haliburton tandem.
The suspense was still full two minutes from the end after a basket from the precious Jalen Smith (122-119). Until Kristaps Porzingis, who came back into play a few moments earlier, shone with two brilliant high-altitude actions, an alley-oop served by Deni Avdija after a big block from Kyle Kuzma on Buddy Hield, and a dunk after an offensive rebound (126-121).
Ish Smith then finished the job with a mid-range shot in stride, guiding Washington to victory, punctuated by the throws of the KCP-Avdija pair (133-123). A success that allows Kyle Kuzma’s troops to continue to aim for 10th place in the Eastern Conference, and therefore the “play-in”.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The perfect introduction by Kristaps Porzingis. What a comeback! Sent into the air by Kyle Kuzma from the first action of the match, KP quickly got into the swing of things and then marked his first with the seal of efficiency. The Latvian indeed had a major impact (his team’s top scorer with 25 points at 7/12 shooting) when he only played 20 minutes, as expected on the occasion of his return from knee injury . His two spectacular and decisive actions were the icing on the cake.
– The Wizards collective. The first of Kristaps Porzingis could have disturbed the usual offensive organization of the team of Wes Unseld Jr. It did not happen. On the contrary, the collective of DC held the road from the beginning to the end. He only missed a defensive stop which was slow in coming and which could have killed the suspense a little earlier. But in terms of attack, with 33 passes and only 5 lost balls, it’s all good for Washington.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Kyle Kuzma. Leader of the Wizards in the absence of Bradley Beal, the interior made sure to put his new teammate in good conditions but kept his standards with a new full performance at 23 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks. It was precisely on a big “block” on his part that the end of the match changed.
✅ Le duo Satoransky-Smith. It is clear that the Wizards had a good nose in saving their position 1 with this pair of experienced leaders to compensate for the departure of Spencer Dinwiddie. If the whole collective could be mentioned, Deni Avdija and Daniel Gafford in particular, the Satoransky-Smith tandem was irreproachable. In 14 minutes, Tomas Satoransky had 10 points and 5 assists and Ish Smith had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals in 28 minutes. Both players also shone after the break with a big dunk for the former and the basket that all but killed the game for the latter.
✅ Goga Bitadze. Even if the Brogdon-Haliburton pair was also very productive and somewhat overshadowed his absence from the debates at the end, the Georgian still signed a “perfect”, 20 points at 7/7 shooting including 3/3 3-pointers, using a good alternation in the second quarter in particular, to go with his 6 rebounds in 24 minutes.
⛔ Oshae Brissett. The Canadian suffered against Kristaps Porzingis but also Kyle Kuzma. The weak link of the Pacers on this meeting.
MATCH ACTION
A “Top 10” sequence with a block from Kyle Kuzma on Buddy Hield which allows Deni Avdija to serve Kristaps Porzingis to the alley-oop on the transition, and a “clutch” action since it marked the start of the victorious run for the Wizards .
THE FOLLOWING
Washington (29-34) : heading to California to face the Clippers this Wednesday.
Indiana (22-44) : the Pacers host Cleveland this Tuesday.
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