The Washington Wizards (17-28) defeated the Indiana Pacers (21-24), 132-124 on Monday night. Russell Westbrook had his 16th triple double of this season, scoring 35 points, dishing 21 assists and grabbing 15 rebounds in a game where Bradley Beal sat the contest out due to a hip and foot injury. Rui Hachimura added 26 points and 8 rebounds. Chandler Hutchison also played 25 minutes tonight, scoring 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
Westbrook is accused of being a stat-hog with his triple doubles, which is certainly a fair argument. However, it also takes a very talented player to put up these kinds of numbers on a consistent basis. Westbrook shot 14-of-26 from the field and even made 4-of-6 three pointers. He also posted the first type of triple double in NBA history.
Despite Westbrook’s stats, Daniel Gafford left the game early due to a lower leg injury. He scored 11 points and 6 rebounds in just 14 minutes of action tonight. Given that he’s the Wizards’ first legitimate lob threat in quite some time, losing him for a long stretch will be very tough.
As for the game itself, the Wizards did get a win tonight, but the outcome was never guaranteed. Sure, they outscored Indiana in each of the last three quarters but the Pacers were also leading during many stretches tonight, including the fourth quarter when they were trailing by as many as six points. They were up 116-110 with just under six minutes left in regulation.
However, the Wizards went on an 11-0 run in the next three minutes to regain the lead and they ultimately came out with the victory.
The Wizards will finish their home stand tomorrow night with a match against the Charlotte Hornets. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET. See you then.
