Pacers take off in 3rd to handle Wizards

T.J. Warren scored 21 points as the Indiana Pacers benefited from a lopsided run to begin the third quarter to record a 121-106 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday in Indianapolis. Warren shot 9 of 15 from the field, and Doug McDermott connected on four 3-pointers to finish with 19 points as seven Pacers scored in double figures.

Indiana's Domantas Sabonis collected 13 points and a career-high-tying 17 rebounds before fouling out in his return from a two-game absence caused by a bruised left calf. Sabonis' rebound total matched his previous personal best set in the Pacers' 102-95 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Aaron Holiday scored 18 points, JaKarr Sampson added 14 and Malcolm Brogdon contributed 12 points and 13 assists as Indiana recorded a fourth win in its last five outings.

Washington's Bradley Beal scored 30 points despite shooting just 1 of 12 from 3-point range. Thomas Bryant had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and CJ Miles added 15 points for the Wizards, who have lost four of their past five.

Indiana followed up a 44-point second quarter by scoring 22 of the first 27 points in the third to seize a 92-67 lead. Sampson highlighted the early surge in the third quarter by exploiting the interior with four layups and a short jumper. Washington turned the tables with a 14-0 run. Davis Bertans sank a 3-pointer and a tip-in before connecting from beyond the arc once again to cap the surge, bringing the Wizards within 94-83 in the first minute of the fourth quarter.

Aaron Holiday emphatically put a halt to the Wizards' charge, draining back-to-back 3-pointers to stake Indiana to a 100-83 lead with 9:53 to play. The Pacers briefly created a breathing room and seized a 44-35 lead after McDermott and Justin Holiday each made a 3-pointer to ignite an 11-2 run early in the second quarter.

Ish Smith converted a three-point play to trim Washington's deficit to 44-41, but McDermott drained a pair of 3-pointers to highlight Indiana's 26-21 surge over the final seven minutes to push its lead to 70-62 at intermission. 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)