Wizards complete turnaround with rout of Pacers to clinch No. 8 seed in Eastern Conference

Six weeks ago, the Washington Wizards were cemented in the lottery with a 17-32 record and 13th place in the Eastern Conference. The playoffs were but a dream.

But with a barrage of Russell Westbrook triple-doubles and Bradley Beal buckets, the Wizards finished the regular season 17-6 and in eighth place with a spot in the play-in tournament.

Now, the once-woebegone Wizards are in the playoffs as the No. 8 after beating the Indiana Pacers 142-115 in the win-or-go-home play-in game on Thursday.

Washington will play top-seeded Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 is Sunday (1 p.m. ET, TNT).

"Now we’ve got a chance to play against one of the best teams in basketball, and we’re excited about it," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "We know what we can do and what we’re about. We’re a much better team than we were in the first month of the season. We know that."

? @RealDealBeal23 drops 25 PTS in 3 quarters, including 16 in the 3rd to propel the @WashWizards to the #NBAPlayoffs! ?

WAS will be the East #8 seed and face #1 PHI in the First Round (Game 1 Sunday, 1pm/et on TNT) pic.twitter.com/XuLyQq0wwK

The Wizards, of course, relied on their star guards.

Westbrook rebounded from a sub-optimal performance in Tuesday’s play-in loss to the Celtics with an efficient near triple-double: 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting, 15 assists and eight rebounds. Beal, who continues to play with a sore left hamstring, scored 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting.

It just wasn’t a two-man show.

Rui Hachimura had 18 points, Raul Neto added 14 and Daniel Gafford, a key trade deadline acquisition, had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Washington. Big men Alex Len and Robin Lopez combined for 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Wizards were 3-0 against the Pacers during the regular season, piling up points in each victory: 132-124 on March 29, 154-141 on May 3 (no overtime in that one) and 133-132 in overtime on May 8.

The Wizards exploited Indiana’s defense again in the play-in game. Washington scored at least 30 points in each quarter, including 48 in the third. It broke the game open in the second quarter. With the score tied at 34, the Wizards took off on a 16-0 run. Nothing Indiana tried slowed the Wizards.

By the end of the third quarter, Washington led 114-83. The Wizards shot 58.1% from the field and 50% (14-of-28) on 3-pointers.

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