Washington Wizards vs Indiana Pacers: Wizards push for Play-in tournament as they meet the inconsistent Pacers

NBA Regular Season has been moving towards its conclusion and oh boy, oh weird is the Regular season. You can see a team go on a ten-game winning streak in December and then the same team can end up losing five to six in a row in February/March. It is all about momentum in this league and you can’t sleep on any opponent, because, at this point, everyone is a professional athlete and even the players that are deep in the bench have reached this point after a lot of struggles. Anyway, keeping that in mind let us jump into the scene between two teams who have struggled for most of the season in Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers.

The Wizards have been highly underwhelming since December and after a hot 10 wins and three losses, the team has been struggling to make ends meet. They are also playing without Bradley Beal, their leading scorer for the last few seasons and they also traded their leading playmaker in Dinwiddie recently bringing in Porzingis. On the other hand, the Indiana Pacers have won 22 and lost 43 games, but have done well with Tyrese Haliburton as the leading one-guard, having won three of the last six games. The team has done well with veteran PG Malcolm Brogdon in the fray while Haliburton and Hield have given some more than decent minutes recently. The Pacers have a lot of issues in terms of depth but they have acquired some intriguing young players. Can the Wizards take care of business against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference scenario? To know my game total and result prediction, jump to “Expert Betting Tips”. For my player-based statistics prediction, go to Player Props Prediction”.

The Wizards have been struggling to win two games in a row, and they have won four out of the last nine games, but if they are to make the Play-in tournament, they will really need to pick up their game. They are going to play eight of the next eleven games away from home and they have struggled quite a bit away from home. Washington has three fewer wins than the Hawks and Hornets while having two more losses and until they figure out a way to go on winning streaks, the trend of lagging behind the Hawks and Hornets. In all honesty, the Hawks and Hornets are better placed than the struggling Washington squad.

On the other hand, the Pacers season has been a huge struggle from the beginning. Like Wizards, they have also struggled to win two games in a row, mostly going on big losing streaks. They have lost three or more games in a row more than five-six teams and they have the tendency of giving up big leads early. The team shipped away Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, and Justin Holiday in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Smith, and Buddy Hield. Since the trade, the roster makeup is younger so perhaps the potential is there to build something long-term.

Match-ups

The Pacers are fielding three guards, a wing, and a Forward in their lineup these days. Off the bench, they have another Forward in the fray while also fielding three guards. Meaning that their lineup is playing small ball with six guards and three Forwards. The Wizards are fielding a Point Guard, an off-guard, two wings, and a Center in the lineup, which gives them the size advantage up-front. Off the bench, the team has a traditional combination with a PG in Ish Smith, a Shooting Guard in Tomas Satoransky, a wing in Deni Advija, a Power Forward in Rui Hachimura, and a Center in Thomas Bryant. In terms of depth, the Pacers look hurt but they have more shot creators, meanwhile, the Wizards have better rebounders.

Assuming they are available, these are my player-based predictions:

• I believe Kyle Kuzma will grab at least 9 rebounds;
• I see Tyrese Haliburton dishing at least 8 assists;
• I believe Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will score at least 15 points;
• I see Buddy Hield clicking on at least 19 points;
• I believe Corey Kispert will score at least 12 points;
• I see Jalen Smith grabbing at least 10 rebounds.

Points Range: The Pacers have a deeper guard rotation than the Wizards and with Hield, Brogdon, and Haliburton, they have a better passing unit too. On the other hand, the Wizards seem to have a significant length advantage with Kyle Kuzma being their major enforcer. Kentavious can be a huge difference-maker as a shooter and the perimeter defender meanwhile a lot will rely upon Kispert, Hachimura, and Bryant. The Wizards have a strong bench actually if you look at how much size, defense, and rebounding they can get from there. I believe both teams will score at least 110 points. I believe the total points range here is 220-230.

Prediction: As stated earlier, the Pacers have the advantage of shot creation whereas the Wizards can eke out a significant size advantage and take care of business against the Pacers who have not been a disciplined defensive advantage. I believe the Wizards will come out strong in this game and someone among Hachimura, Bryant, or Kispert will step up the game. I believe the Wizards will win this 117:110.

• Handicap 1 (-4.5) for 2.14;
• Total 1 Over 115.5 for 1.95;
• Team Props: IND Pacers Under 112.5 for 1.86.