John Wall & Marcin Gortat Help Wiz Blow Pacers Away

The Washington Wizards faced elimination on Tuesday night playing in Indianapolis at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. John Wall and Marcin Gortat had been struggling in the first round, but in Game 5, they both delivered with huge performances during a lopsided 102-79 win that was even more of a blowout than the score suggests.

Gortat set playoff career-highs in scoring (31) and rebounding (16), while shooting 13-of-15 from the field. Meanwhile, Wall exploded for 27 points, five assists, and five boards. Here’s a look at their individual highlights.

Throughout the game, the Pacers could not answer Wall’s aggressiveness on either end and were deflated by Gortat’s dominance in the paint. Paul George struggled from the field, 5-for-15 shooting on he night, and Roy Hibbert relapsed to his first round woes with four points and two rebounds in 25 minutes of action. However, the biggest differential, which had the most impact in Game 5, was the Wizards dominating the glass for a 62-23 rebounding advantage.

With the dominating win on Indiana’s court, the Wizards forced a Game 6 back in Washington on Thursday.

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