INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers used a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter to take control of Wednesday's game against the Wizards and claimed their first home win of the season, 114-101.

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The Pacers improved to 4-8 with their first victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse since their win over Miami on March 29. The Wizards fell to 4-8.

Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Center Ivica Zubac posted 20 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Guard Andrew Nembhard had 17 points and 10 assists. Forward Kelly Oubre Jr. had 14 points, six rebounds and four steals. Kyshawn George posted 25 points and nine rebounds for the Wizards. Anthony Davis had 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Here are three observations.

Unique Pacers combination provides big edge in the fourth

The Pacers had a 10-point lead with 6:24 to go in the third quarter but watched it disappear as they were outscored 18-8 the rest of the period.

With forward Aaron Nesmith dealing with a sore right knee and the Pacers desperately needing a spark of some kind, they turned to a rarely used lineup and saw the game change completely.

Starters Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam took the floor to start the quarter with Kelly Oubre Jr., Larry Nance Jr. and two-way contract forward Jalen Slawson. That group, with no true center and one true guard, proceeded to take the game over and put it away.

The Pacers started the fourth with a 14-0 run with Nembhard and Siakam doing most of the scoring, but Nance and Slawson had important buckets as well. Nance drilled a 3 off a dish from Siakam that increased the Pacers' lead from five to eight and then Slawson stole a pass and took it the distance for a thunderous one-handed dunk to put them up 89-77. Defensively, the Pacers held the Wizards without a bucket for the first 3:15 of the period and once Washington finally scored, Nance immediately answered with a dunk off a smooth cut and a slick Nembhard pass. The Pacers were up 12 when they finally subbed and ended up winning by 13.

Kelly Oubre Jr. took another big step

The Pacers targeted Oubre in free agency (with what little available money they had under the first apron) because he could give him the kind of defensive ballhawk and multi-positional matchup option they've been lacking. At 6-8 with a 7-2 1/4 wingspan, he has a history of causing havoc and turning it into offense on the other end. He entered this season with 756 career steals, an average of 1.1 per game.

Prior to Wednesday night he'd been slow to make that kind of impact with the Pacers and he missed two games with a calf contusion where he might have had some real opportunity. Oubre had just two steals in his first nine appearances. He had five double-figure scoring games and was averaging 9.1 points per game heading into Wednesday but was shooting a modest 44.3% from the floor and a worse-than-modest 24.2% from 3-point range (8 of 33).

However, Wednesday's matchup gave him an opportunity to shine and he did. The Wizards roster outside of veterans Trae Young and Anthony Davis is mostly a collection of long-armed young wings and Oubre matched their physicality but brought more intellect and cunning. He made life difficult on No. 1 overall pick A.J. Dybantsa, forward Kyshan George and wing Tre Johnson, taking away passing lanes and finding a way to get his hands on the ball. In the first half alone, he recorded four steals and scored 14 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He didn't score in the second half but finished with six rebounds.

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IvIca Zubac leads Pacers paint attack

As Ivica Zubac has worked his way back to health since his ankle sprain on Oct. 25, the Pacers have slowly learned how to play with him without Tyrese Haliburton also on the floor.

It's been a slow and sometimes grueling process, but they took significant steps over the weekend and an even bigger one Wednesday.

The Pacers stressed paint points from the beginning and kept feeding Zubac and Siakam. Zubac had 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting at halftime to go with seven rebounds and two blocks. The Pacers kept going his way in the fourth quarter especially and he finished with 20 points on 9 of 15 shooting, 12 rebounds and two blocks. The Pacers won the paint battle 60-44.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 3 observations on the Pacers win over the Wizards, including an unusual fourth-quarter lineup

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Darien's Guiliana Franchetti (9) runs the ball up field during their game against Fairfield Ludlowe in the FCIAC Field Hockey Championships Saturday, November 7, 2026 at Greenwich High School. (Jim Shannon/Hearst Connecticut Media)

The first round of the Class L CIAC field hockey tournaments was held Wednesday. Class M and S will play their quarterfinals Thursday.

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Here is the full schedule and scoreboard for the tournaments.

Here's what you need to know:

Blue Wave roll on

Darien, the No. 1 team in Class L, beat No. 16 NFA 10-0 in the first round, extending a streak going back over two decades.

The last time Darien lost in the first round of a CIAC tournament was in 2003 when it was defeated in the Class S tournament by Granby Memorial. The Blue Wave also lost in the 2002 first round after failing to even qualify for the tournaments in 2000 and 2001.

The program shifted in 2000 when Mo Minicus was hired as head coach coming off a stint as the head coach at Bowdoin College.

Minicus took over the program in 2000, made her first CIAC tournament in 2002, was named CHSCA Coach of the Year in 2003, led the Blue Wave to the Class M championship game in 2004,  and won her first championship in 2007.

Since then, the Blue Wave have appeared in 15 finals, winning 10 titles, including last year's Class L crown. In that span, they have lost in the semifinals four times and the quarterfinals just twice, in 2005 and 2015. They have reached the semifinals every season since 2016.

Darien has not conceded a goal in the first round of any Class L tournament since 2018 when it beat New Canaan 3-2. The Blue Wave have now not allowed a goal in five straight tournament games going back to last season.

Minicus, who won her 500th career game in the FCIAC quarterfinals against Ridgefield, has twice been the CHSCA Coach of the year and was named the NFHCA National Coach of the Year in 2010.

Prior to her arrival, Darien had appeared in three CIAC finals from 1981-84, winning two titles. Darien did not reach a championship game from 1984-2004.

Darien will face No. 9 Greenwich in the quarterfinals either Friday or Saturday

FCIAC rules

Seven of the final eight teams in Class L are from the FCIAC. The only team to break through was No. 7 Hall from the CCC, which beat No. 10 Farmington 1-0 in double overtime to advance to face No. 2 Staples in the quarterfinals.

The FCIAC also had seven of eight quarterfinalists a year ago in Class L.

A team from the FCIAC has won the last 12 Class L championships, including Darien beating Staples last season. Glastonbury and Darien were co-champions in 2014. The last time an FCIAC team didn't win a CIAC title was in 2002. Since 2004, an FCIAC team has won 18 Class L tournaments, including the 2016 tournament when Darien and Staples were co-champions.

Seeded upsets

No. 12 Norwalk defeated No. 5 Cheshire 3-2, going to double overtime and then winning a shootout 4-2 to advance the Bears to the quarterfinals where they will meet No. 4 New Canaan in the quarterfinals.

Also, No. 9 Greenwich beat No. 8 Conard 3-1 and No. 11 Ridgefield beat No. 6 Glastonbury 1-0.

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This article originally published at 2026 CIAC girls field hockey Class L tournament first round is complete. What you need to know.

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