The Indiana Pacers and the Washington Wizards are two of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference right now. The Pacers have lost just once in their past five games, while the Wizards are riding a modest three-game win streak. So, something’s got to give when the two in-form teams meet in the nation’s capital tonight. Read on for a breakdown of this matchup.
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[sc:NBA240banner ]Indiana is beginning to pour it on offense. The Pacers are 21st in the league in scoring with an average of 99.6 points per game, but they have been burning the hoops for 106.0 points over the past six games.
That stretch includes the Pacers’123-86 win over Milwaukee on Saturday, wherein they shot 47-for-91 from the field (51.6 percent). Unlike most other Pacers games, a player not named Paul George led the team with C.J. Miles scoring 21 points. George, meanwhile, had 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. That said, George remains as the Pacers’ focal point on offense, as the former Fresno State standout is leading the team with 24.8 PPG.
The Pacers may very well continue their hot shooting later tonight against Washington’s porous defense that allows 105.3 PPG. While Indiana no longer has a Roy Hibbert or David West to act as a quality option down low on offense, it nevertheless has a load of solid perimeter guys, who can all make it rain from the outside.
That group includes George, Miles, Rodney Stuckey, George Hill, Monta Ellis, and Chase Budinger. Altogether, the Pacers are draining 8.8 triples per game thus far this season. That number has even improved to 10.4 over the past five contests. That doesn’t bode well for Washington’s defense that lets opponents knock down nine treys per game.
What’s more for the Pacers is that they’re doing all this on offense without sacrificing their impressive work on the other side of the ball. The Pacers are third in the league in defense with opponents scoring just 94.5 PPG.
Indiana is 5-0 ATS in its last five games in Washington.
Bradley Beal didn’t shoot like Bradley Beal in his first game back since missing three outings because of a shoulder injury. But the sight of him on the floor again was a big boost going forward for the Wizards, who defeated Detroit on Saturday, 97-95.
Beal, who leads the Wizards with 20.4 PPG, scored just seven points on 3-for-8 shooting against the Pistons, but that may be attributed to rust more than anything else. John Wall, meanwhile, also misfired in the Detroit game, as he managed just eight points on 4-for-11 from the field.
The duo will have to get it together later tonight, as the Wizards can’t just rely on their reserves to step up just like they did against Detroit. Nene and Jared Dudley combined for 32 of Washington’s 51 bench points—way more than the 35.2 PPG it produces thus far this season.
Otto Porter, on the other hand, has been a nice source of offense for Washington of late, as the former third-overall pick is averaging 16.4 PPG on 50.9 FG% in the team’s last five games.
While it was mentioned earlier that Washington’s defense has been a weak spot for the team, it’s worth noting that the Wizards have allowed just 93.3 points over their last three games. However, two of those games were against teams (Milwaukee and Detroit) that rank in the bottom six of the league in scoring.
Washington is 3-1 ATS in its last four home games.
