Pacers require late scoring spree to down Wizards

Pascal Siakam scored four of his game-high 24 points to jump-start a late-game run that powered the Indiana Pacers past the Washington Wizards 104-98 on Tuesday in Indianapolis for their fifth win in a row.A sluggish start left the Pacers (48-31) playing from behind much of the way against the last-place Wizards (17-62). However, after Indiana chipped away at a third-quarter deficit that reached 16 points, the teams were tied six times and there were seven lead changes in the fourth period.With 2:46 to go, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton found Siakam for a score at the rim to level the score at 92-92. Siakam broke the stalemate on the following possession with another layup.The Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner followed Siakam’s two scores with 3-pointers, bookending a Bub Carrington jumper, to give the hosts a six-point lead.Indiana closed out the game outscoring Washington 14-6. The crucial 3-pointers from Nesmith and Turner provided the Pacers with welcome relief on an otherwise dismal shooting night, with Indiana going just 9-for-35 (25.7 percent) from beyond the arc on the night.Turner missed his first six long-distance attempts before the late-game connection, but his 3-point shooting woes did not prevent him from finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. In addition, his five blocked shots help set the tone on defense.The Pacers limited the Wizards to 38-of-90 (41.8 percent) shooting from the floor, including 11-for-39 (28.2 percent) from long distance.