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Young, Wizards handle Indiana

Dec 30, 2010 - 1:20 PM Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Nick Young scored 25 points, Andray Blatche had 22 with 11 rebounds and the Washington Wizards enjoyed the comfort of being home in a 104-90 win over Indiana.

JaVale McGee added 16 points and 10 rebounds and was one of six Wizards scorers in double digits as the team rallied without their head coach.

Flip Saunders missed the game because of a family emergency concerning his mother, and assistant coach Randy Wittman took his place on the bench, leading Washington to only its third win in 17 games.

Mike Dunleavy scored 20 points to lead the Pacers, who saw their road losing streak extended to seven games. Indiana has lost three in a row overall and seven of its last nine.

As bad as the Pacers have been on the road lately, the Wizards are worse. They are 0-15 away from home this season, but Wednesday's win moved them above .500 (8-7) in the Verizon Center.

The teams were tied after an ugly first half, and Washington used a 13-5 run in the third quarter to take control of the game for good. Blatche tipped in a shot to start the burst and Rashard Lewis capped it with a three-pointer at 4:38 to give the Wizards a 63-56 lead.

They went ahead by as many as nine points, but Dunleavy completed a four-point play at the end of the quarter to get Indiana within 72-67 heading into the fourth.

Washington opened the last quarter with a 13-3 run and led by as many as 17 points before the end of the game on the way to a rare win.

"Closing games out isn't about Xs and Os, it's about confidence in yourself and the belief in a teammate that you're going to get the job done," said Wittman.

The Wizards played the entire second half without starting guard Kirk Hinrich, who exited with a left thigh contusion after playing just 12 minutes and missing both shots he took.

The teams combined to shoot just 14-of-44 in the first quarter and were tied 19-19 heading into the second.

They didn't fare much better before halftime, shooting a combined 22-of-53 in the second quarter for a 44-44 tie at the break.

"We should have had a lead," said Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien.

Game Notes

Indiana lost despite shooting 41 percent to Washington's 40...The Pacers turned the ball over 17 times and the Wizards capitalized with 23 points.