Pacers vs. Wizards score, results: Washington dominates Indiana, earns final spot in East playoff bracket

Jordan Greer

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Pacers vs. Wizards score, results: Washington dominates Indiana, earns final spot in East playoff bracket image

The Wizards sprinted out to an early lead in Thursday night's play-in game and never looked back, throttling the Pacers on their way to a 142-115 win.

Washington's dynamic duo of Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook led the way in the victory, combining for 43 points, 19 assists and 13 rebounds. Indiana had no answers defensively as the Wizards shot nearly 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range as a team.

MORE: NBA play-in tournament, explained

Now Beal, Westbrook and Co. will move on to face the top-seeded 76ers in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. The Wizards and Sixers will play Game 1 of that series on Sunday afternoon.

Sporting News provided live scoring updates and highlights from Pacers vs. Wizards on Thursday. Check out all of the highlights you missed right here.

Pacers vs. Wizards score

Play-in game Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Pacers 29 23 31 32 115
Wizards 30 36 48 28 142

Pacers vs. Wizards live updates, highlights from NBA play-in game

(All times Eastern)

Final: Wizards 142, Pacers 115

10:05 p.m. — Pure domination. The Wizards are heading to the playoffs.

10:05 p.m. — The starters are off the court. Time for the reserves to pick up some play-in stats.

9:55 p.m. — And that's it for Domantas Sabonis. The big man fouls out early in the fourth quarter. He finishes with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 32 minutes.

End of third quarter: Wizards 114, Pacers 83

9:45 p.m. — The Pacers just need to rattle off a quick 31-0 run, and they are right back in this!

9:35 p.m. — A quick summary of this play-in game:

9:30 p.m. — So . . . maybe don't leave Bradley Beal wide open.

9:15 p.m. — The Wizards push their lead to 19 points, and Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren is forced to call a timeout. Yikes.

Halftime: Wizards 66, Pacers 52

9 p.m. — Russell Westbrook nearly posts a triple-double (15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds) in 20 minutes of action. Daniel Gafford also makes a major impact for the Wizards with six points, five rebounds and five blocks. This one is all Washington so far.

8:50 p.m. — Uh oh. Domantas Sabonis picks up his third foul with three minutes to go in the first half. He's got to be careful here.

8:45 p.m. — Washington starts the second quarter on a 20-5 run. The Wizards are shooting nearly 62 percent from the floor.

8:35 p.m. — Russell Westbrook. Bully mode. Engaged.

End of first quarter: Wizards 30, Pacers 29

8:25 p.m. — Indiana rolls out the red carpet for Daniel Gafford.

8:15 p.m. — Malcolm Brogdon is already up to 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting. He is attacking early and often.

8:05 p.m. — The Wizards put the first points of the game on the board. Russell Westbrook finds Raul Neto for an open 3-pointer.

7:50 p.m. — The starting five for both teams:

7:30 p.m. — Speaking of injuries, Bradley Beal will once again be playing at less than 100 percent as he continues to deal with a hamstring strain.

7:20 p.m. — Another long injury report for the Pacers:

Pacers vs. Wizards start time

  • Date: Thursday, May 20
  • Start time: 8 p.m. ET
  • TV channel: TNT
  • Live stream: Watch TNT

Pacers vs. Wizards will be the only play-in game held on Thursday. The final Western Conference play-in game will be held Friday and broadcast on ESPN.

NBA play-in tournament schedule

May 18

Game (play-in) Time (ET) National TV
Hornets vs. Pacers 6:30 p.m. TNT
Wizards vs. Celtics 9 p.m. TNT

May 19

Game (play-in) Time (ET) National TV
Spurs vs. Grizzlies 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Warriors vs. Lakers 10 p.m. ESPN

May 20

Game (play-in) Time (ET) National TV
Pacers vs. Wizards 8 p.m. TNT

May 21

Game (play-in) Time (ET) National TV
Grizzlies vs. Warriors 9 p.m. ESPN

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.