Marcin Gortat matches career-high with 31 points, adds 16 rebounds in Game 5 victory
Marcin Gortat wasn't ready for the 2013-14 season to be over, apparently.
The Polish Hammer put the Washington Wizards on his back early on Tuesday night, helping get his team off to a strong start in Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers. Facing elimination with a 3-1 series deficit, Gortat was the best player on the floor for the entire first half, helping the Wizards to a seven-point lead at the break.
From there, Gortat took on a more secondary role as John Wall got things going, thanks in part to the big man's vicious and oft-tricky screens. Not that Gortat stopped producing, of course - he finished with 31 points, tying a career-high and setting a new personal playoff-best, and added 16 rebounds, also a career playoff-best.
His 31 points came on an obscene 13-of-15 shooting, improving his field goal percentage in the series to 57.7 percent. He's now averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds through five games, giving Roy Hibbert and company fits in three of five outings.
With the Wizards winning big and forcing a Game 6, the sides will do battle (at least) one more time on Thursday.