It’s a great night for Washington Wizards two stars Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal as both had a huge scoring for the win over the Indiana Pacers.
The Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 133-132 in overtime with Bradley Beal scoring 50 points and Russell dropping his 181st triple-double.
Beal and Russell led the Wizards to the win for the season sweep for the first time this season.
Both teams battling for the spot in the play-in tournament as they are now standing in ninth and tenth place.
With the win, the Wizards are in ninth place while the Pacers are in tenth place.
And teams from seventh to tenth place can participate in the play-in tournament to secure a playoff spot.
The teams went head-to-head with each other from the start of the game till the end of the regulation ultimately leading to overtime for the final result.
Indiana Pacers ended the third quarter with a huge lead but couldn’t maintain the lead and the Wizards bounced back in the fourth taking the game to overtime.
Where the Wizards won with a point over the Pacers.
The Pacers took the lead early in the first quarter.
Caris LeVert opened the night with a layup giving the first lead of the night to the Pacers.
Doug McDermott dropped a three-pointer in the next possession to extend the lead to 5-0 for the Pacers.
Rui Hachimura then scored the first bucket for the Wizards also drawing the foul and Westbrook gets the rebound and scores after Hachimura misses in the next possession.
The Pacers Domantas Sabonis blocked at the rim by Hachimura that tied the game for the Wizards with 9:18 remaining in the quarter and also giving the lead with Hachimura scoring the basket.
.@Dsabonis11 with 10p/5a/4r in Q1 pic.twitter.com/7KpaIOpmTD
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 8, 2021
Beal shot a jumper and Alex Len lays it in on Russell’s assist giving a lead to the Wizards.
Westbrook extended the lead to five-point on the next possession.
The shot went back and forth with both teams scoring the baskets. Both the teams took only a point lead until 3:52 remaining in the quarter.
The Pacers then started a 4-0 run bringing the game to 21-26 with only about three minutes left to play.
Beal scored a jumper right after that and Daniel Gafford slams the ball on Ish Smith’s alley-opp to bring the game within a point before the Pacers scored again.
However, Russell answers back the Pacers to tie the game with one and a half left in the game.
The first quarter ended 33-32 with Westbrook scoring a jumper to take a point lead over the Pacers with 2.1 seconds left.
The Wizards trailed the Pacers for half of the second quarter.
As soon as the second quarter started, the Pacers took a point lead and extended to as much as four-point on Goga Bitadze three-pointer and blocks.
Westbrook then drew a foul shooting a basket to bring the Wizards within a point.
However, the Pacers were still in the lead going 38-41 with 8:58 remaining on the quarter.
Bradley Bead then dropped a three pointer to bring the game within a point and the Pacers T.J. McConnell answered right back and Aaron Holiday dropping a three pointer extending the lead to six-points for the Pacers.
Beal continued his scoring with a three-pointer on the other end for the Wizards not letting the Pacers get away with huge scoring gap.
The Washington took a point lead after about 8 minutes into the quarter with 4:25 remaining on the clock.
T.J. McConnell slipped while trying to score almost losing the ball.
However Levert recovered the ball and passed to Domantas to score and Domantas’ layup again gave the Pacers lead.
Both the teams again went back and forth scoring and taking the lead until the game tied at 55-55 with 1:39 remaining in the quarter.
Again tied at 57-57 with a minute left to play.
Beal then took a three-point lead for the Wizards with a basket and a foul with 39.7 seconds remaining.
Then the Pacers Oshae Brissett paced up on the other end scoring the layup and bringing the game within a point.
And Sabonis drew a foul with a basket taking a two-point lead with 13.3 on the clock.
But the Wizards ultimately took the lead back after Russell scored a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the second quarter.
The Pacers hot scoring in the third.
Both the teams were head-to-head with each other early in the quarter with each teams answering back the other team offensive moves.
They went back and forth scoring for early two minutes of the third quarter.
But the Pacers regaind their rhythm and took a three-point lead with 9:28 left on the clock to end the quarter.
Oshae Brissett extended the lead after hammering a dunk on Sabonis pass.
With that the Pacers made 10-2 run to take the largest lead of the night with 9 point lead at 69-78 with 8:18 remaining.
Beal dropped a jumper to bring the score within a point of the Pacers. He continued to score to keep the Wizards within the game.
And Levert continued his scoring to bring the Pacer away from the Wizards.
The Pacers again made 9-0 run to take 9 point lead with more than a minute left to play.
Levert scored a three pointer for the Pacers with 31.3 left in the quarter and Russell answered with a three-pointer of his own.
And this time Caris Levert hits a three-pointer at the buzzer taking 9 point lead at 92-101 entering the fourth quarter.
The Wizards hot scoring in the fourth.
Continuing their hot shooting of the third, the Pacers maintained their lead early in the fourth quarter.
With taking seven point lead even after a half minute into the fourth quarter.
Russell passed the ball to Hachimura who in return scored the bucket.
It brought the game within a point before Levert scored again.
The teams again went back and forth scoring with about a minute left to end the game.
The game tied at 122-122 with 26.9 left for the end of the regulation.
Russell Westbrook took a two-point lead after scoring a layup for the Wizards.
However Caris Levert tied the game scoring a layup with 3.5 second left in the fourth.
the clutch bucket from @CarisLeVert to send it to OT 🙌 pic.twitter.com/4x8i15PHcd
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 9, 2021
And Westbrook missing a jumper ending the quarter with a tie and entering into overtime.
The Pacers took the lead right into the over time. And Westbook answered rightback scoring a jumper tying the game again.
Brisset then took the lead again for the Pacers scoring a basket.
The Wizards were a point ahead with a minute and half left to play in the 1st overtime.
Edmond Summer scored a jumpers at the buzzer with shot-clock windind down to give the Pacers the lead.
Levert called for a foul on Westbrook with a second left bringing Westbrook on free-throw line.
He then hit both free-throws giving the lead to the Wizards.
😤 Russell Westbrook
✅ Game-winning block
📊 33 PTS, 19 REB, 15 AST
📚 181st career triple-double
⏳ Ties Oscar Robertson for 1st in NBA history pic.twitter.com/qh72oh70Xb— NBA UK (@NBAUK) May 9, 2021
The Pacers then got the throw in and T.J McConnell threw to Levert to shoot but Westbrook blocked him giving the Wizards the Win in overtime.
The Wizards showered love to Westbrook after the win.
Westbrook 181th triple-double.
Entering the court Russell Westbrook had 180 triple-double under his belt only one triple-double behind Oscar Robertson who has all-time record for the most triple-double made in the NBA history.
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks was with only praises for the star.
“He’s one of the biggest winners I have ever been around, on and off the court,” Brooks said earlier this season. “He adds so much value to our team.
Dealing with what we’ve all been through, I couldn’t ask for a better guy to lead us and he has – and it hasn’t been easy.
He cares, he wants to win, he wants our players to do well, he wants to establish a culture of professionalism on and off the court and he demands it.”
With a huge triple-double made in the game against the Pacers, he now ties the NBA record with Oscar Robertson.
Oscar Robertson himself in a recent interview with Marc Stein of the New York Times, said he hoped to see Westbrook break his record.
“I hope he gets it,” Robertson said.
“I think he’s one of the elite guards in basketball, and I think it’s ridiculous that some sportswriters criticize him because he has not won a championship.”
Players don’t win championships by themselves. You’ve got to have good management. You need to get with the right group of players.”
Westbrook was touched by Robertson’s words.
“When you’re in this position and you get mentioned with the greats like Oscar – not just that, but they compliment things you do for the game, it’s truly an honor, man,” Westbrook said.
“It’s something that, honestly, I do not take for granted because Oscar is somebody that did more for the game, that played in the era where it was tough being an African American athlete in our game and he understood and sacrificed so many things to be able to play the game and I understand that.”
“To me, I’m just grateful to be in the conversation with his name connected, my name connected to his. I’m grateful for his thoughtful words.”
He dropped his 181st triple-double scoring 33 points along with game high 19 rebounds and 15 assists.
Westbrook not only tied Oscar Robertson’s nearly 50-year-old record for most triple-doubles om NBA history.
But also become the first player in NBA history to record back-to-back games with 15plus rebounds and 15 plus assists.
“I take pride, like I say every single night, in leaving it all on the floor,” Westbrook said. “I honestly believe there is no player like myself. If people want to take it for granted, sorry for them.
I’m pretty sure if everybody could do it, they would do it.
I honestly make sure I impact the game in many ways every night, defending rebounding, passing, assisting, whatever it is that my team needs from me to be able to win.”
Bradley Beal huge scoring night.
Beside Westbrook Beal also had great night as he scored 50 points for the win of the Wizards.
#WizPacers Game Story from Indianapolis 📝
Westbrook's heroics and history-making triple-double and Beal's 50 points led us to our 15th win in our last 19 games.
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) May 9, 2021
Beal is just behind Stephen Curry for scoring title this season with 31.4 points per game.
And only 0.5 points per game behind Steph who had 49 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bradley led the scoreboard, dropping 50 points along with 5 rebounds and a assist.
Similarly Rui Hacimura contributed 13 points, 6 rebounds, and a assist who had great first quarter start for the Wizards.
Davis Bertans led the bench for the Wizards, scoring 10 points.
The Pacers also had great night despite the loss.
Eventhough the Pacers lost the game by a point, the players did everything to keep the Wizards on their toes even going to the over time.
During the plays the players dropped huge scoring on the scoreboard for the Pacers.
With all the five starters of the night in double-figures.
And Domantas Sabonis dropping a triple-double and Caris LeVert dropping a double-double.
Caris LeVert led the scoreboard for the Pacers, scoring 35 points. 14 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Meanwhile Domantas dropped a triple-double, scoring 30 points, 13 rebounds along with 13 assists.
Edmond Summer dropped 13 points and two rebounds, while Oshae Brissett made 12 points with 4 rebounds.
Likewise Doug McDermott contributed 11 points with 2 rebounds.
T.J. McConnell led the bench scoring 8 points along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists, followed by Goga Bitadze with 7 points.
