Pacers 95, Wizards 86
The Washington Wizards went nine minutes without a field goal to start the second quarter and shot under 28 percent in the first half with 13 turnovers to set a franchise record with their 16th straight road loss, 95-86 to the Indiana Pacers during a New Year’s Eve matinee.
The loss surpassed the previous mark set by the 1999 club and is the longest in-season losing streak since Memphis dropped 18 straight two years ago.
The Wizards trailed by as many as 20 and got as close as 11 in the third and fourth quarters before the Pacers responded each time with extended runs. Rookie Paul George scored five points during an 8-0 run in the third and jammed home an alley-oop pass from Darren Collison to cap a 6-0 run for an 89-72 lead with 5:50 left in the game.
Andray Blatche signified the futility for Washington. After posting 22 points and 11 boards in Wednesday’s 104-90 win against the Pacers, the forward was 0-of-6 shooting with five turnovers in the first half. John Wall led the Wizards with 25 but he committed seven turnovers.
Danny Granger and Collison scored 18 apiece for the Pacers, who snapped a three-game losing streak and play five of their next six games against teams with winning records.
Indiana back-up point guard T.J. Ford was responsible for the Pacers’ first 13 points of the second quarter that pushed a three-point advantage to 38-25 with seven minutes left. Ford scored nine points – including a personal 7-0 run – and dished off two assists to break the game open.