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If the Indiana Pacers get a combined 50 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocks out of David West and Roy Hibbert they should be able to beat any team in the league.
On the other hand, if the Pacers turn the ball over 21 times and get whistled for 27 fouls, they can lose to any team on the schedule. Yes, even the John Wall-less and winless Washington Wizards.
Both of those conditions were in play on Monday night and fortunately for the Pacers, the big night from the blue and gold bigs trumped the mistakes that kept the Pacers from ever putting away the pesky Wiz.
After all of the hand wringing over Hibbert's poor start to the season, it would've been criminal to lose a game after he scored 20 points on 10 shots and played up to expectations. But West secured the win for the Pacers with a monster finish when every bucket was vital. The veteran heart and soul of the Pacers scored 30 points in efficient manner and even matched Hibbert with four blocked shots.
Still, it wasn't easy, so this W comes with more relief than celebration. Pack it in the bag, head home and don't look back.
Check out the links:
- Pacers at Wizards -Box score and highlights
- Game Rewind: Pacers 96, Wizards 89 | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
- David West's 30 points guide Pacers past winless Wizards | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
- Pacers notebook: Point guard Augustin returns to backup role | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
- West, Hibbert help Pacers hold off Wizards | 1070 The Fan – Opinion & Analysis
- Wizards vs. Pacers: Washington sets franchise record with ninth straight loss to start season - The Washington Post
- Wizards fall to 0-9 with 96-89 loss to Pacers - AP
- Pacers vs. Wizards final score: Different game, same story as Wizards lose, 96-89 - Bullets Forever
- Post-Game Grades: Pacers Don’t Lose to Wizards | Eight Points, Nine Seconds
- NBA fines Grizzlies’ Randolph $25K for post-game confrontation | The Point Forward - SI.com
- The controversial life and career of the Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Randolph - Grantland