The Indiana Pacers carved out a crucial win in Game 2 to even the series on Wednesday night behind a rejuvenated Roy Hibbert. Can the Wizards regain the series lead? Or will Hibbert and the rest of the Indiana Pacers show why they are the Eastern Conference’s No.1 seeds and defy the picks of most experts in our review of NBA experts’ Round 2 predictions.
Create a betting account now and pick the team whom you think will go up, 2-1, in this intense series.
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Washington Wizards vs. Indiana Pacers Round 2, Game 3 Betting Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – May 5, Washington 102 Indiana 96
Game 2 – May 7, Washington 82 Indiana 86
Game 3 – May 9, 7:00 PM ET, Indiana (+3.5) at Washington (-3.5) – view all NBA lines
Game 4 – May 11, 7:00 PM ET, Indiana at Washington
Game 5 – May 13, Washington at Indiana
Game 6 (if necessary) – May 15, Indiana at Washington
Game 7 (if necessary) – May 18, Washington at Indiana
Betting on the Washington Wizards
In Game 2, Trevor Ariza and John Wall kept on shooting and they kept on missing. The Wizards’ outside shooting that was humming in Game 1 was conspicuously missing in Game 2 for the Washington Wizards (5-21 3FG) as they saw their winning streak end at three games.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Ariza (six points, 2-7 3FG) fell prey to the temptation of the three-point shot after going 6-6 from beyond the arc in Game 1. Though he must not stop shooting, he can also consider getting his teammates more involved when he starts to miss some shots. He had zero assists in Game 2.
Wall, meanwhile, continues to flub his shots. Through two games, he’s shot an atrocious 6-27 from the floor. However, he did not forget his point guard duties as he had eight assists. In Game 1, he had nine dimes.
The contest was close heading into the final minutes of the game, but ill-advised shots, including two missed threes from Wall in the last 2:25, helped spell the doom for the Wizards. All told, the Wiz’s shot selection must improve if they’re going to overcome a stout Indiana defense.
The Wizards are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Betting on the Indiana Pacers
Roy Hibbert is back. 28 points, nine rebounds back. After days of non-stop criticism, the All-Star center showed the confidence that was missing in the earlier games of the Playoffs, as he helped the Indiana Pacers beat Washington for the 13th time in their last 14 meetings at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The question is, will Hibbert have the same kind of spunk for the rest of the Playoffs. In Game 7 of the Pacers’ first round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, Hibbert scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds before his unforgettable Game 1 performance of this series, wherein he scored no points and grabbed no rebounds.
Coach Frank Vogel clearly needs Hibbert to play the same way every night, given the stiff challenge presented by the Wizards’ frontcourt.
Despite Hibbert’s performance, Paul George still needs to be more efficient on offense. He scored 11 points on 5-13 shooting in Game 2 and was less aggressive, only having two shots on the free throw line. In Game 1, he went 9-9 from the charity stripe.
The Pacers are 3-1 ATS in their last four road games.
Writer’s Prediction
Despite the loss and the shooting woes, the Wizards remained a threat to the Pacers up to the last moments of Game 1. Playing at home in Game 3, the Wizards will win straight up and cover +3.5, too.
