In their first NBA play-in game against the Charlotte Hornets, the Indiana Pacers played as well as they have all season, destroying the Hornets 144-117. On Thursday night in the 8-seed play-in game against the Washington Wizards though, the Pacers got a taste of their own medicine and they were on the other end of things, getting destroyed 142-115 by the Washington Wizards. 

Washington had the Pacers’ number all season long, as they beat them 3-0 in the regular season series and now, they just beat them for a fourth consecutive time this season to claim the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference. Indiana now enters what will be a long offseason for them with many questions to be answered before the start of the 2021-22 season. 

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For the Wizards, their season continues into the playoffs after they seemed like they would be in contention for the #1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft near the All-Star break! On April 6, the Wizards were 17-32 and they were given a 0.6% chance to make the playoffs by ESPN’s BPI. 

Now, Washington draws a first-round series against the 1-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first-round of the playoffs and win or lose, this year has been a big win for the Wizards. Not only did they have to battle through numerous injuries and health protocols to get to the postseason, but they have a foundation laid out to potentially be successful moving forward. 

Last night’s NBA play-in game for the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference told us a lot about both the Indiana Pacers and the Washington Wizards, so let’s take a look at the three biggest takeaways from this game.