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WASHINGTON - Just when it appeared that the intensity of a playoff run was getting to be too much for the Washington Wizards, they pull off a solid win over the Indiana Pacers. And the Pacers? They played so poorly that it made this weeks win over the Miami Heat look more like an aberration in some late-season doldrums. John Wall scored 20 points, and Marcin Gortat added 17 points and 12 rebounds Friday night as the Wizards avenged two of their biggest losses of the season, never trailing in a 91-78 win over the cold-shooting, turnover-prone Pacers. "Were at the point where we cant just get up for the Miamis or the Chicago Bulls and then come out and get doughnuts against the Wizards or these other teams," said David West, who committed four of Indianas 17 turnovers. "I just dont know if we are handling success and being out front the right way." The Heat beat the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, essentially negating Indianas victory over Miami on Wednesday in the standings. The Pacers lead is back to two games atop the Eastern Conference. "The game Wednesday doesnt mean anything if we dont get the one tonight, and were back at square one," Pacers guard George Hill said. "We gave up another game where we should have won." The Wizards, meanwhile, sit sixth in the East and are almost certainly playoff-bound for the first time since 2008, but their recent uninspired play had led to questions as to whether young players Wall and Bradley Beal had the mettle for a post-season push. Washington had lost four of five, with games featuring wild swings and deficits too big to make up. "Our intensity level for 48 minutes had waned," coach Randy Wittman said. "And wed lost that edge a little bit, in terms of we waited until we got down before we really played with effort and intensity." Not so Friday night against the Pacers, who are responsible for two of Washingtons three losses by 20-plus points this season. This was one of those prove-yourself wins that counts a little extra. "They had our number the first two games," Beal said. "They played way more physical than we did. They kind of did whatever they wanted to when they were at home, but once we got them here we did a great job of just hitting them — and we kept hitting them throughout the whole game." Paul George scored 19 points, and Lance Stephenson had 13 points and matched a career-high with 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost a season-high four straight road games. Indiana committed five turnovers in the first four minutes Friday and shot 35 per cent overall. By halftime, the Pacers were up to 10 turnovers. No. 11 came on the first possession of the second half, when centre Roy Hibbert threw the ball out of bounds. After scoring in the 70s only once in their first 69 games, the Pacers have held below 80 in three of their last four. "Im tired of talking about it," said Hibbert, who went 3-for-8 from the field and had only two rebounds. "Weve been in this rut for a month. I dont know. Ive made my suggestions. You take one step forward and three steps back. One game, and then we play like this. ... Weve talked about that for great length amongst ourselves, private team meetings, all that (stuff), and I dont know." The Pacers finished 2-for-13 from 3-point range. Stephenson went 3-for-13 and missed all five of his 3-pointers. George was 6-for-22 and was unhappy he didnt get more calls. "Its just crazy," George said. "We played against a team the other night where if you breathe on the guy (LeBron James) you know he went to the line. Im not saying Im that calibre player, but its just frustrating." As poorly as the Pacers played, the Wizards didnt truly pull away until late in the third quarter. Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster hit 3-pointers in a 10-0 run that made the score 77-56 early in the fourth. Ariza finished just 2 for 12 from the field, and Bradley Beal was 2 for 13. "We guarded our butts off," Beal said. "We didnt necessarily shoot it too well, but we definitely defended." NOTES: Beal played 35 minutes despite suffering a hip pointer in Wednesdays loss to the Phoenix Suns. ... Al Harrington accounted for all of the points in a 10-0 run by the Wizards over 2 1/2 minutes in the second quarter. Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys .C. -- With a chance to start over and maybe drive in any series he wanted, Juan Pablo Montoya thought long and hard about what mattered most at this stage of his career. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. http://www.jerseyscheapwholesalenfl.com/. -- Get a flow chart ready to follow the Packers quarterback situation. Cheap Authentic Nike NFL Jerseys .3 seconds remaining, and No. 7 North Carolina held off a resilient No. 25 Virginia team, 54-51, on Saturday. John Henson contributed a double-double with 15 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (25-4, 12-2 ACC), who have won five straight and 10 of 11. Discount Nike NFL Jerseys . The lightning strike was in the parking lot of Crew Stadium on Saturday night, but its not known if the off-duty lieutenant was struck directly, Columbus Fire Department Battalion Chief Tracy Smith said. The firefighter, identified as Lt.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Kentucky maintained its lofty status as the unanimous top-ranked team in mens college basketball, while the first week of conference play helped shake up the bottom of the new poll. Seton Hall, VCU, Arkansas and Old Dominion are newcomers to this weeks rankings, replacing Washington, Northern Iowa, Colorado State and Georgetown. Kentucky was off last week and will start conference play Tuesday at home against Ole Miss. The Wildcats received all 64 first-place votes to remain an undisputed choice at the top of the poll for a fifth straight week. Duke, Virginia, Wisconsin and Louisville remained unchanged from last week, while the remainder of the top 10 features Gonzaga, Arizona, Villanova, Utah and Texas. Villanova dipped two spots from sixth after suffering its first loss of the season on Saturday against Seton Hall. The second 10 consists of Maryland, Kansas, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Wichita State, Oklahoma, Iowa State, North Carolina, Seton Hall and VCU. Iowa State tumbled eight spots from ninth after a Saturday loss to South Carolina. Seton Hall not only knocked off Villanova, but also topped a ranked St. Johns squad last week to secure its spot in the rankings for the first time this year. VCU was ranked earlier this season, but fell out after late November losses to Villanova and Old Dominnion.dddddddddddd. The last five teams ranked this week are Baylor, Ohio State, Arkansas, St. Johns and Old Dominion. St. Johns had the biggest fall within the poll, plummeting nine places from 15th after losses to Seton Hall and Butler. Arkansas was also ranked earlier this season, while Old Dominion is in the poll for the first time in the programs history. The Monarchs, playing in Conference USA, have won nine straight games. Washington was 21st last week, but followed a stunning first loss of the season on Dec. 28 to Stony Brook with losses in its first two Pac-12 games at California and Stanford. Northern Iowa was 23rd and lost at Evansville on New Years Day, while Colorado State was 24th and 14-0 before a loss at New Mexico on Saturday. Georgetown, which was the lone newcomer last week at No. 25, lost its Big East opener on New Years Eve at Xavier. In addition to a pair of top-25 battles on Monday between North Carolina and Notre Dame and Texas and Oklahoma, the first week of January is filled with ranked matchups. Villanova and St. Johns will meet at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, while Kansas plays its first Big 12 game on Wednesday at Baylor. Saturdays slate features Louisville at North Carolina and Virginia at Notre Dame in the ACC, plus a Big 12 tussle between Iowa State and West Virginia in Morgantown. ' ' '