The Athenaeum Forum

Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Indiana and Washington sported different lineups Wednesday than the ones they trotted out during last seasons Eastern Conference semifinals. But the Wizards have their star. The Pacers do not. John Wall had 31 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals as Washington defeated short-handed Indiana 96-94 in overtime on Wednesday night. The Pacers led 88-87 in the extra session before Wall netted six straight points during the middle stages of the frame and the Wizards hung on down the stretch. Trailing 96-94 in the closing seconds, Roy Hibbert missed a left wing 3- pointer and Chris Copelands putback was off the mark for Indiana, which was without Paul George, George Hill, C.J. Watson, David West and Rodney Stuckey. Lance Stephenson, of course, left Indiana for Charlotte in the offseason. Garrett Temple hit four 3-pointers and netted 16 points to go with seven rebounds and Marcin Gortat posted 14 points and 10 boards for Washington, which is still without the blossoming Bradley Beal. The Wizards signed Paul Pierce to be their small forward in place of Trevor Ariza. The Pacers won last years semifinal in six games. Donald Sloan, who tallied a career-high 31 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds, netted the final seven Indiana points in regulation to force overtime. Copeland supplied 19 points and 12 rebounds off the bench and Solomon Hill provided 14 points and eight rebounds for the 1-4 Pacers, who are off to their worst start since the 1996-97 squad began 1-5. Gortat split a pair of foul shots with 2:06 remaining in the fourth before Sloan drove in for consecutive layups to tie the score. Pierce sunk two free throws at the other end and Sloan drove into the paint before contorting his body and getting his layup to drop with 6.9 seconds left. Pierces right wing triple at the buzzer clanked off the back of the rim. Wall nailed two straight pull-up jumpers from the top of the key, then stole the ball away from Sloan prior to driving in for an up-and-under layup to stake Washington to a 93-88 lead in overtime. Earlier, the game was tied 24-24 after a quarter of play, but a 16-2 Washington run in the second helped it build a 46-41 cushion heading into the break. The Wizards took a 66-61 margin into the fourth. Game Notes The Wizards played 12 overtime games last season, tied for the fifth most in league history. They were 4-8 ... The Pacers outrebounded the Wizards, 57-43 ... Washington was 21-of-23 from the foul line. Dustin McGowan Jersey .C. - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick headlines this years electees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Edinson Volquez Jersey . -- Jerome Verrier scored once and set up two more as the Drummondville Voltigeurs downed the visiting Chicoutimi Sagueneens 5-1 on Friday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play. http://www.baseballmarlinsstore.com/Ich ... ns-jersey/. - Regan Smith had the checkered flag in sight at Daytona a year ago and a freight train of cars in his rearview mirror. Jeff Locke Jersey . According to a police report, Douglas is accused of grabbing his girlfriend by the neck and slamming her against the wall several times while he carried her from the elevator to their Hartford hotel room early Sunday morning. Chris Johnson Jersey . PAUL, Minn.Skate Canada announced Wednesday that it is sending Nexxice from the Burlington Skating Club and Les Supremes from the CPA Saint-Leonard to the 2014 ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships in Courmayeur, Italy from April 4-5. The teams secured their entries to the world championships by finishing one-two at the 2014 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships last weekend in Burnaby, B.C. In 2013 Nexxice won the world silver medal and in 2009 they became the first North American team to win gold at the world championships. They are coached by Shelley Barrnett and Anne Schelter.dddddddddddd Les Supremes placed sixth at last years ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. They are coached by Marilyn Langlois, assisted by Pascal Denis and Amélie Brochu. Earlier in the year the entries for the 2014 ISU Synchronized Skating Junior World Challenge Cup in Neuchâtel, Switzerland from March 6-8, 2014 were determined at a Skate Canada Central Ontarios annual Winterfest competition. Les Supremes (junior) from CPA Saint-Leonard and Les Pirouettes of CPA Laval earned the two spots for Canada. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '