It wasn't pretty, but the Indiana Pacers did enough on Wednesday night to beat the Washington Wizards 86-82 in Game 2 of their semifinal series. Each team has a win as the series shifts to the nation's capital this weekend.

The Pacers jumped out to a 7-0 lead, showing much more urgency in the opening moments than they did in Game 1, but Washington once again displayed poise in responding with a run of their own. Marcin Gortat and Nene helped give the Wizards a 45-43 lead at the half with a combined 16 points and six rebounds, but this time Indiana had an answer on the inside.

Roy Hibbert, who didn't score or grab a rebound in the first game, had 17 points and three boards in the first half. He finished with 28 points and nine rebounds on 10-for-13 shooting in 33 minutes. Hibbert also blocked two shots and went 8-for-8 from the foul line.

Hibbert was much more comfortable and aggressive from the opening tip, a strong response after his teammates called him out following his horrible outing. Paul George and David West made pointed comments to the media, calling for Hibbert to give the team what it needs.

The irony is that the Pacers don't need Hibbert to lead them in scoring most nights -- he only did so three times during the regular season. Frank Vogel needs Hibbert to rebound and anchor the defense.

While the Pacers rarely rely on Hibbert to score, they did need him to do so in Game 2. They fed him early and often, taking touches away from George and West. His 13 shot attempts are a high for this postseason. He has topped 13 shots only once since March 1.

George, who is averaging 16.7 shots per game in the playoffs, was just 5-for-13 in the victory. He only took five shots in the first half, making three, which kept him from getting in a rhythm down the stretch. He was a criminal offender in the mid-range game. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Pacers missed 16 straight mid-range jumpers from the start of the second quarter until midway through the fourth.

In addition to Hibbert's effectiveness, which could be a regression to the mean, George Hill was also more aggressive. The Indiana offense looks much better when Hill is penetrating and probing, creating passing lanes and opportunities to move the ball and get the defense off balance.

Hill's stat line wasn't much to look at -- 14 points, four rebounds and three assists -- but his energy went a long way to help the Pacers on both ends of the floor. His 12 shots are tied for the most he's taken in nine playoff games. His active hands and length forced John Wall to turn the ball over with less than a minute remaining and the Pacers leading by just three.

Energy and fight aren't a part of any box score, but Indiana had enough of those two to win. That was important because the Wizards once again won the rebounding battle (+5) and grabbed too many offensive rebounds (11). After lightning it up from three in Game 1, Washington cooled (5-for-21).

Neither team executed well in the final moments. The Wizards took a number of bad shots, most glaringly Wall from three, and the Pacers ran a bad play out of a timeout with 1:13 remaining. It resulted in West dribbling to the left baseline and attempting a Dirk Nowitzki-like one-legged fadeaway over Nene. All of his teammates were standing on the other side of the court as Washington collected the rebound.

There also looked to be some miscommunication on offense with about three minutes left. After a deflection, Vogel shouted a play call from the bench on the opposite end of the floor. Hibbert turned to West and held up three fingers while saying "three," which seemed to indicate run "three."

George came from behind West and Hibbert, holding up three fingers as well. However, moments before the inbounds pass, Lance Stephenson shouted for George to run "two." With just a handful of seconds left on the shot clock, the play seemed to breakdown, forcing George to attempt a contested turnaround jumper with the clock running down and 2:57 left. He made it, but the execution clearly wasn't crisp. 

An engaged and focused Hibbert is a step in the right direction for the Pacers, who can't fall into the same trap they did against the Hawks. They must treat Game 3 like a must-win, which is a cliché this time of year, but is true nevertheless. The Wizards are supremely confident and it will be hard to climb out of another hole against a talented, dynamic club.

Lance Stephenson

Stephenson struggled in the first half, with four rebounds and three assists to go with no points. He missed all five of his shots and may have been overhyped after saying following Game 1 that he needed to attack earlier than he did in the season-opening loss. 

He earned his first points at the foul line with eight minutes left in the third quarter and, literally, ran from there. Stephenson had 10 points in the period and finished with 12 overall, including a huge jumper with 21.4 seconds left to push Indiana's lead to 84-79.

The old adage is that a scorer/shooter simply needs to see the ball go into the basket to get going and that was the case with Lance on Wednesday night. After making the aforementioned free throws, Stephenson went 3-for-4 from the field. He was 0-for-8 prior to that.

The Bench

In more ways than one, the Pacers were lucky that Hibbert had one of the best games of his playoff career. The bench scored just 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting. They will need more consistency from Luis Scola and C.J. Watson as the series progresses. The pair combined for six points on nine shots.

Randy Wittman didn't ask for much from his second unit, but they were efficient. Drew Gooden, Martell Webster, Andre Miller and Trevor Booker scored 18 points on 8-for-15 shooting.

John Wall

The Wizards should feel very good about their chances after stealing home court from the Pacers. On top of that, they've competed despite not getting an A-game from John Wall.

Washington won Game 1 and lost the second by just four points despite two subpar performances from their All-Star point guard. Drawing attention from Hill and George, Wall had just six points in Game 2. He has taken great care of the basketball, with 17 assists and two turnovers, but he's shooting 6-for-27 (22.2%) against Indiana, including seven misses from three.

If Wall's shots start falling and the combination of Gortat/Nene continue to dominate the paint, Washington will be in great position to extend their playoff run.