Obi Toppin showcased his best performance of the season, recording a remarkable 31 points and 10 rebounds, as the Indiana Pacers staged an impressive comeback from a 19-point deficit to defeat the Washington Wizards, who hold the worst record in the NBA, with a score of 134-130 in overtime on Wednesday evening.
Bennedict Mathurin contributed significantly with 28 points, while Tyrese Haliburton added 20 points for the Pacers. With this victory, the Pacers improved their season record to 30-23 and positioned themselves in fourth place in the Eastern Conference as they head into the All-Star break.
Jordan Poole shone for the Wizards, scoring an incredible 42 points but missed a critical step-back 3-pointer at the end of regulation. Corey Kispert also had a solid outing, contributing 21 points to the team’s effort. Unfortunately, the Wizards have now experienced a home losing streak of 11 games and have lost four consecutive matchups overall.
After a rather sluggish start to the game, the Pacers turned up the pressure in the final quarter. The Wizards struggled to maintain their lead following a left leg injury sustained by reserve guard Malcolm Brogdon. Indiana dominated the fourth quarter with a score of 36-23, featuring 11 points from Mathurin. In overtime, Toppin’s 3-pointer with just over a minute left propelled the Pacers to a nine-point lead, which they managed to protect until the final buzzer.
In terms of takeaways, the Pacers improved their monthly record to 4-3 after an impressive 10-2 run in January. Notably, Myles Turner missed his third consecutive game due to a cervical strain. On the other side, rookie Alex Sarr, the second overall pick in the draft, made his return after being sidelined for eight games due to a left ankle sprain, contributing nine points on 3-of-13 shooting.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Haliburton made a step-back 3-pointer over Sarr, giving the Pacers a 118-115 lead with 2:13 remaining—a first for them since early in the first quarter. Jordan Poole quickly responded, hitting a tying 3-pointer for Washington with under a minute left on the clock.
One impressive stat was that Indiana’s bench, led by Toppin and Mathurin, outscored the starters 66-54 during regulation, with Toppin playing a crucial role by scoring 17 points in the third quarter alone.
Looking ahead, the Pacers are set to host the Memphis Grizzlies on February 20 after the All-Star break, while the Wizards will face off against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 21.
