Marcin Gortat scores 31 as Wizards crush Pacers
Marcin Gortat scored 31 points and recorded 16 rebounds, while John Wall added 27 points and five rebounds to lead the Washington Wizards to a blowout victory over the Indiana Pacers, 102-79. The Wizards shot 41-82 (50.0%) from the field and dominated the offensive glass, pulling down 18 boards. The Conference Semifinals now stand at 3-2.
Gortat shot 13-15 from the field, in a good performance. Trevor Ariza also chipped in for Washington, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Despite the loss, David West put up 17 points for Indiana on 7-14 shooting.
Not only did Washington win the battle on the backboards in Game 5, but they've also controlled the glass in the series. The Wizards have corralled 29.3% of available offensive rebounds as well as 86.7% of possible defensive rebounds. From the perspective of the Game 5 loser, Indiana has dominated the turnover battle in this series. They've lost the ball on 12.6% of their possessions compared to 15.8% for the Wizards. The Pacers had an eFG% of just 42.9%, which was combined with an OR% of 8.3 in this game. For comparison, during the regular season they were winless (0-4) in games they dropped below 45% and 20% in those respective offensive factors. On the other hand, the Wizards were 2-1 when limiting their opponents to those numbers or worse.
Washington still trails in the series 3-2, but get another opportunity at home for a win over Indiana in Game 6 of the Conference Semifinals.
