Washington Wizards’ Marcin Gortat (4) is defended by Indiana Pacers’ Paul George (24) during the first quarter of game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff series in Indianapolis, Monday, May 5, 2014. AP
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana—Bradley Beal scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and Trevor Ariza added 22 to lead Washington past top-seeded Indiana 102-96 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday.
The Wizards won a second-round game for the first time since 1982 and are 4-0 on the road in this year’s playoffs. They ended a 12-game losing streak at Indiana that dated to April 18, 2007, and they did it by nearly leading from wire-to-wire.
Paul George and George Hill had 18 points each for Indiana.
The Wizards trailed only once, 31-30, and took control with a 17-6 run to close the first half that made it 56-43. Indiana couldn’t get closer than five points in the second half.
Game 2 is Wednesday night at Indiana.
The Pacers have lost both of their playoff series’ openers and will face another uphill battle—just days after rallying from a 3-2 deficit to beat Atlanta in seven games in the first round.
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