The Washington Wizards cruised past the Indiana Pacers 142-115 to clinch the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
After a lacklustre performance in their earlier play-in game against the Boston Celtics, the Wizards made the most of their last chance at securing a play-off spot.
Following a tight first quarter, Russell Westbrook sparked a 16-0 Wizards run early in the second which the Pacers were never able to recover from.
18 PTS, 8 REB, 15 AST for @russwest44.#NBAPlayoff berth for @WashWizards. #8 WAS vs. #1 PHI, Round 1, Game 1 📅 Sunday, 1pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/u8FHAIDZjZ — NBA (@NBA) May 21, 2021
Westbrook and Bradley Beal combined for 43 points, while Domantas Sabonis led the way for Indiana with 19.
The Wizards will now meet the No 1 seed Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs.
The play-in tournament concludes on Saturday with the Memphis Grizzlies taking on the Golden State Warriors for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.
