Without Victor Oladipo (illness) and Darren Collison (arthroscopic knee surgery), the Indiana Pacers were given a tall order in extending their home win streak against the surging Washington Wizards. As expected, the Pacers offense struggled to make up for the absence of their starting backcourt, but they still managed to create opportunities for themselves throughout the night to keep the game within reach.
Unfortunately for the Pacers, many of those opportunities were quickly self-sabotaged by poor defense, missed shots, or turnovers. The Pacers took the lead twice in the second quarter, by one point, but both times they led, they allowed Jodie Meeks to respond on the other end each time, holding the lead for a total of 34 seconds.