The NBA is back in full swing with a 10-game slate across tonight’s schedule. Tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Indiana Pacers will face off with the Washington Wizards.
This pair of teams sits in 14th and 15th place in the Eastern Conference with one game between them in the standings. This will be the fourth and final matchup between them this season. Washington has won two of the three matchups to this point, including a 112-105 victory last night to kick off each team’s return from the All-Star break.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s game, the Wizards are narrow 1.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook and hold -115 odds on the Moneyline. The Pacers hold -105 odds of pulling off the outright upset, with the game total set at 228.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Friday night matchup.
Pacers vs. Wizards prediction, preview
Less than a year removed from being one win away from being crowned NBA champions, the Indiana Pacers hold a 15-41 record on the season. This is the worst record in the Eastern Conference and tied for the second-worst in the NBA, with only the Kings tallying fewer wins. On the season overall, Indiana has gone 28-28 against the spread, with the game total remaining under in 33 of their 56 games played.
Tyrese Haliburton headlines the injury report as he remains sidelined and continues to recover from his Achilles tear. Johnny Furphy is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, while Obi Toppin and Ivica Zubac remain sidelined with their long-term issues. Pascal Siakam has been ruled out for tonight’s game due to left hamstring injury management, and Aaron Nesmith will miss it due to an ankle sprain. Andrew Nembhard is listed as doubtful, while Micah Potter, Cam Jones, and T.J. McConnell are each questionable.
Of the available Pacers players, Jarace Walker is the team’s leading scorer who will for sure suit up. The Houston product is averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on the season, and is making the most of his expanded role in recent games. Jay Huff adds 8.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in just 20.0 minutes per game. Ben Sheppard and Quenton Jackson have also given the team a nice boost of late.
As a team, the Pacers are scoring 111.1 points per game, which ranks 28th in the NBA. Indiana also ranks 30th in offensive rating, 29th in team field goal percentage, and 23rd in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 118.6 points per game against Indiana, which ranks 24th in the league. The Pacers also rank 21st in defensive rating, 26th in field goal percentage, and second in opponents’ three-point percentage allowed.
The Washington Wizards have slipped to 15-39 on the season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Washington defeated the Pacers last night, but has lost 14 of their last 19. On the season, the Wizards are 22-31 against the spread, and the game total is 28-26 to the over/under.
Kyshawn George has been ruled out for tonight’s game due to a left big toe sprain. Alex Sarr will also miss due to a hamstring strain. Anthony Davis and Trae Young remain sidelined and will not be making their Wizards’ debut just yet, while Cam Whitmore is out for the season, and D’Angelo Russell is not with the team.
Of the healthy bodies, sixth-overall pick Tre Johnson headlines the scoring effort and is posting averages of 12.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, while shooting 38.6% on three-point attempts. Bub Carrington is averaging 10.2 points and 4.6 assists, while Bilal Coulibaly and Will Riley have shown some signs of promise as well. Jaden Hardy made his debut in Washington last night against this same Pacers team and finished with 13 points in his 18 minutes of play.
The Wizards are averaging 112.2 points per game, which ranks 25th in the league in scoring. They rank 28th in offensive rating, 27th in field-goal percentage and 17th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 123.1 points per game against them, which is the second-worst rate in basketball. They also rank 29th in defensive rating, 22nd in field-goal percentage allowed and 23rd in opponent three-point percentage.
Pacers vs. Wizards pick, best bet
Tanking has been a prominent talking point surrounding the NBA of late, and both these teams have a place in the conversation. However, they are at different stages of their rebuild and hold slightly different goals for the remainder of the year. With Haliburton sidelined for the season, the Pacers have accepted this season as a gap year, with the engine of their offense getting work done. In contrast, the Wizards have quietly collected a strong core of young talent and taken some big swings in the trade market that will catapult them into a competent team next season.
Expect both teams to carry this mindset into tonight. Indiana has filled up their injury report and are satisfied punting on the remainder of the season and building forth for next year. In contrast, the Wizards have started to establish a culture for the level of competitiveness that is required on a night-to-night basis. They still lack the talent to go head-to-head with some of the better teams in the league, but Washington has an encouraging youthful energy and does not back down to anyone.
While my lean is toward the under in this matchup, I am backing the Wizards to produce a comfortable victory and cover the 1.5-point spread. They won 112-105 just last night in this same matchup. With the Pacers only set to be without more talent and production, expect the margin to be even more significant. The Wizards have players like Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington who can get hot in a way that carries an offense, while Indiana’s roster is lacking in this category.
For the sake of the article, I will stick with the standard spread. But this is a matchup that has the potential to get ugly, and some alternate spreads, such as Wizards -6.5 at +187 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, also catch my attention. Count on Washington to bring a higher level of effort and overall talent en route to their second straight victory against this 15th-place Pacers squad.
