NBA 2019-20: Washington Wizards lose against a depleted Indiana Pacers
The Washington Wizards lost against a depleted Indiana Pacers 121-106 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.
This is the second dreadful loss for the Wizards against an injury-ravaged side, after the one against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pacers were without forward / center Myles Turner and guard Victor Oladipo, and the Wizards still couldn't take advantage.
They did manage to defeat the Detriot Pistons, who were without forward Blake Griffin and guard Derrick Rose though, making this a thoroughly up-and-down start to their season.
Beal, Bryant lead in scoring
Only five players from the Wizards team scored double-digit points. Shooting guard Bradley Beal and center Thomas Bryant led the team with 30 and 20 points scored respectively.
Beal went 12-29 FG, 5-5 FT and 1-12 3PT, which was the worst 3-point shooting game for him this season. He also racked up five rebounds and five assists. It certainly wasn't an efficient night for Beal, and he will look to bounce back against the Cleveland Cavaliers
Bryant went 6-10 FG, 7-7 FT and 1-2 3PT. He had the team's only double-double, with 11 rebounds and 2 assists. Even with star forward Domantas Sabonis all over Bryant, he was still able to put in a good shift.
The Wizards bench wasn't much help
Davis Bertans, Ish Smith, CJ Miles, Troy Brown and Moritz Wagner did not contribute much to help the Wizards make a comeback. The only double-digit scorers off the bench were Bertans and Miles with 11 and 15 points scored respectively.
The irregular rotations from head coach Scott Brooks could have been the reason why the bench did not produce as well as they usually have been.
Hachimura scored 0 points
In just the 7th game of his rookie season, power forward Rui Hachimura went scoreless, which was certainly a problem. He went 0-5 FG, 0-0 FT and 0-1 3PT.
It is unclear why he had such a bad game, but Hachimura played only 21 minutes against the Pacers. Given his status as a rookie, he will have his ups and downs, but the organization and fans have big hopes from him. It remains to be seen whether he can bounce back against a not-so-good Cleveland Cavaliers.
What's next?
The Wizards come back home to Washington D.C. to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tune in at 7:00 PM ET.