Washington Wizards forward Nene shoots past Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) during their Game 6 of an Eastern Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff series in Washington.WASHINGTON – David West scored 29 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Washington Wizards 93-80 Thursday night to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year.
Lance Stephenson added 17 points and eight assists for the Pacers, who won the series 4-2 over the Wizards. They will host Game 1 against the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat on Sunday. Indiana took the Heat to seven games in the conference finals a year ago.
The Wizards took a one-point lead with 8½ minutes to play, but they scored only two field goals the rest of the way as the Pacers closed with a 20-6 run.
Marcin Gortat scored 19 points for the Wizards, who ended their best playoff run in decades.