Kristaps Porzingis stars in Wizards debut, scores 25 to topple Pacers / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

Kristaps Porzingis dazzled in his Washington debut with two late dunks among 25 points in just 21 minutes, six teammates also scored in double figures and the Wizards (29-34) ran away from the visiting Indiana Pacers (22-44) for a 133-123 (30-26, 27-35, 39-26, 37-36) victory on Sunday night.

Player of the Game EFF 27 Ishmael Smith Points 13 Accuracy 6-8 Rebounds 7 Assists 9

Acquired from the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline, Porzingis had sat out 14 straight games -- including his first eight for the Wizards -- with a sore right knee.

The big man got the green light to return Sunday and immediately demonstrated he'd like to be a driving force in lifting the Wizards into a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

The Wizards, who won just their sixth game in the past 19, stand 11th in the East.

Porzingis shot 7 for 12 overall, 3 for 4 on 3-pointers, and 8 for 10 from the free-throw line in his 18th 20-point game of the season.

Kyle Kuzma finished with 23 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 19 points, Ish Smith 13 and Deni Avdija, Daniel Gafford, and Tomas Satoransky 10 apiece for the Wizards, who trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and 61-57 at halftime.

Kuzma complemented his scoring with eight assists and five rebounds, while Smith contributed team-highs of nine assists and seven rebounds.

Indiana's Malcolm Brogdon was the game's leading scorer with 27 points. He, like Porzingis, did much of his damage at the foul line, going 11 for 13.

Tyrese Haliburton had a 15-point, 11-assist double-double for the Pacers. Goga Bitadze totaled a career-high 20 points, Buddy Hield 19 points, Jalen Smith 15, and Duane Washington Jr. 11.

Washington took the lead for good at 69-67 on a Porzingis jumper four minutes into the third quarter, but the Pacers hung within 116-113 before Kuzma converted a three-point play with 4:19 to go and Anthony Gill buried a 3-pointer, creating some breathing room.

Indiana Pacers / Schedule

Orlando Magic Indiana Pacers119-103 Orlando Magic Indiana Pacers114-122 Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers111-106 Washington Wizards Indiana Pacers133-123 Indiana Pacers Cleveland CavaliersWed00:00 San Antonio Spurs Indiana PacersSun01:00 Atlanta Hawks Indiana Pacers03-1323:00

Porzingis, Caldwell-Pope, and Corey Kispert bombed in three 3-pointers apiece, helping Washington gain a 51-30 advantage in points from beyond the arc.

Indiana got within three one more time, but Porzingis thwarted that challenge with an alley-oop slam off an Avdija assist and another dunk.

The Pacers lost despite shooting 51.8 percent from the field. Washington finished at 52.3 percent.

Wizards: Kristaps Porzingis 25 (4/8 2PT, 3/4 3PT, 8/10 FT, 5 REB, 2 BLK), Kyle Kuzma 23 (6/10 2PT, 2/7 3PT, 5/7 FT, 5 REB, 8 AST, 2 BLK), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 19 (3/9 3PT, 6/7 FT, 5 AST), Ishmael Smith 13 (5/5 2PT, 7 REB, 9 AST), Tomas Satoransky (5 AST), Deni Avdija 10 (7 REB), Daniel Gafford 10 (5/7 2PT).

Pacers: Malcolm Brogdon 27 (8/13 2PT, 11/13 FT, 4 AST), Goga Bitadze 20 (4/4 2PT, 3/3 3PT, 6 REB), Buddy Hield 19 (6/10 2PT, 2/7 3PT, 8 REB, 7 AST), Tyrese Haliburton 15 (4/6 2PT, 1/5 3PT, 7 REB, 11 AST, 3 STL, 4 TO), Jalen Smith 15 (6/6 2PT, 6 REB), Duane Washington 11 (3/4 3PT).

Full game highlights:

Kristaps Porzingis highlights:

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