Hibbert comes alive as Pacers outlast Wizards, tie series 1-1

Don't let the closeness of the 86-82 final score fool you: this was not a reversal of the early second round trend of ugly games. This one was Sam Cassell ugly.

In the end, the Indiana Pacers managed to grind it out for the victory, tying the series at 1-1. 

Just how ugly was this game down the stretch? Well, there was a nearly two-minute span late in the fourth where neither team scored a basket, and the Wizards shot 2-of-9 in the final five minutes. Both teams also decided that mid-range twos were the shot of choice in the game's final frame, leading to plenty of disjointed possessions, though the Wizards did run some solid plays out of timeouts.

Star Performer

For at least one night, Roy Hibbert was back. The maligned center made his presence felt right from the opening tip, nearly matching his playoff career-high (29) and regular season career-high (30) with a 28-point outburst. He shot 10-of-13 from the floor and added nine rebounds and two blocks for good measure. Needless to say, this is a great leap from his performance in the playoffs' first eight games:

Turning Point

The Pacers didn't play particularly well in this one but they started and finished hot. They opened the game on a 13-5 run and closed it on a 12-5 run, losing 72-61 in the 39 minutes in between.

For what it's worth, the Pacers were a +16 in Hibbert's 33 minutes, which could be a turning point in the sense that they were -28 in his 171 playoff minutes to this point. If he can find his groove again this is a very different team.

Highlight Reel

For as much as this game lacked in aesthetic appeal, it did occasionally sprinkle in some highlights, mostly thanks to Marcin Gortat:

Hibbert made up for getting dunked on with a nifty And-1 of his own, though he left teammate David West hanging pretty badly (no wonder the team has chemistry issues, right?):

Hibbert also entertained with a low-light:

The game's best highlight, however, was the highlight that wasn't:

Quote of the Night - Real Deal Beal

Late in the fourth quarter, Bradley Beal continued his breakout playoff performance by hitting a huge three to cut the Pacers lead to two. Basketball Twitter has become a serious Bradley Beal fan.

And courtesy Jack Maloney, the coup de gras:

Series at a Glance

Game 1: WAS 102, IND 96 (Wizards lead 1-0)
Game 2: IND 86, WAS 82 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Friday, May 9 - 8:00 p.m. ET
Game 4: Sunday, May 11 - 8:00 p.m. ET 
Game 5: Tuesday, May 13 - TBD
Game 6*: Thursday, May 15 - TBD
Game 7*: Sunday, May 18 - TBD