May 20, 2021
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal did what they do—a near triple-double for one, 25 points in just 29 minutes for the other—and the Washington Wizards reached the NBA playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed by overwhelming the Indiana Pacers 142-115 in the play-in round Thursday night.
Washington led by as many as 38 points and advanced to face Joel Embiid and the No. 1 seed Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, marking quite a turnaround for coach Scott Brooks’s crew, which was 17-32 in early April.
Indiana’s run of five consecutive playoff appearances ended in coach Nate Bjorkgren’s debut season.