Wizards Lose Season Opener 143-120 to Indiana Pacers

Final Score from Gainbridge Fieldhouse: Pacers 143, Wizards 120

Candi Waller | Oct 25, 2023

Wizards Lose Season Opener 143-120 to Indiana Pacers /

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The Washington Wizards season opener didn’t go quite as they would’ve hoped. The team had a promising preseason, finishing 3-1, but reality set in once the regular season started.

Here are some of the positive aspects of the game:

The Wizards started out strong offensively. In the first quarter, Tyus Jones had 12 points outshining the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton. Jones would ultimately finish the game with 16 points and it certainly looks like he is the floor general the Wizards have been seeking.

The Wizards had four players with more than 15 points. As previously mentioned, Tyus Jones had 16 points. Kyle Kuzma would finish as the Wizards leading scorer with 25 points. Jordan Poole was second on the Wizards scoring list with 18.

Danilo Gallinari returned to NBA action for the first time since April 26, 2022, scoring 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting (2-2 3PT, 6-6 FT) and adding three rebounds in 17 minutes from off the bench.

The Wizards scored 120 points so they can in fact score. 120 points wasn’t enough however and that leads to the not so positive aspects of the game.

The Indiana Pacers scoring 143 is a sign that the defensive effort tonight was an issue for the Wizards. With 32 fastbreak points and 59-points from the Pacers bench, once the Pacers got hot they were off to the races. The Pacers had a 52% field goal percentage, 46% from three-point range, and 91% from the free throw line.

Next up for the Wizards is the Memphis Grizzlies at Capital One Arena on Saturday, October 25 at 7:00pm. Despite tonight’s loss, the Wizards organization has a ton of fan activities planned for the home opener. Hopefully this good energy will result in the first win of the season for the Wizards.

Published Oct 25, 2023

CANDI WALLER

Candi Waller also known as "CWall" is the Founder and CEO of CWall® Sports & Entertainment, President of the CWall Foundation, Inc, the Managing Publisher of the Fan Nation Inside the Wizards site, and President of Bowie Television. A native of Gorgeous Prince George's County, Maryland, Candi has been an authentic lover of all sports since her childhood. She was such a sports fan at an early age that she notes one of her favorite childhood shows as the legendary "George Michael Sports Machine". Candi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hampton University, Master of Arts in Human Resource Development from The George Washington University and a certificate in Sports Industry Essentials from Columbia University. Prior to and during her work in the sports industry, Candi has established her identity as a results-driven, relationship building advocate and professional with extensive years of experience leading and implementing successful strategic change, communications, and stakeholder engagement programs across geographically dispersed organizations. She’s worked across Big Four and Government Trusted Advisor consulting firms such as IBM, Deloitte, and the MITRE Corporation. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Women in Sports & Events (WISE), the National Press Club (NPC), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce and is an ambassador for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In terms of what she likes to do for fun, that’s just it…anything that is considered fun, she’s all for it! She’s very close to her parents, brother, and sister, and has a host of nieces, nephews, and godchildren.