Who will get the right to face the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs? Will it be the Indiana Pacers or the Washington Wizards? We’ll get the answer to that soon, as these two teams square off this Thursday, with the winner getting the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Check out our preview of this game below.
The Pacers were not going to let a piece of shocking news about the unavailability of Caris LeVert prevent them from scoring a 144-117 home win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday to advance the next round of the play-in tournament. LeVert was ruled out of the game just hours before due to health and safety protocol issues. Good thing almost the entire team stepped up, especially the pair of Doug McDermott and Oshae Brissett, who had 21 and 23 points respectively. The Pacers shot 55.2 percent from the field and went 16 of 35 from long range. LeVert is unlikely to play against the Wizards as he’s out for at least 10 days, so the Pacers will keep on asking McDermott and the rest of the guys to continue what they’re doing. It’s also good for the Pacers to see Malcolm Brogdon back after missing him for a lot of games. Brogdon ha 16 points and 8 assists in the win over Charlotte, while TJ McConnel came off the bench and scored 17.
The Pacers are 6-0-1 against the spread in their last seven games.
The Wizards simply had no answer for Jayson Tatum, as they lost to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday on the road, 118-100. But at least they won’t get to see him on Thursday, as they look to bounce back. Washington’s duo of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal combined for 42 points on an inefficient 16-of-43 shooting from the field. Beal did not look exactly healthy, as he was still clearly being bothered by a hamstring injury, while Westbrook said he’s got some “bumps and bruises,” though he assured people that he’s going to be just fine for Thursday’s game. The Wizards have defeated Indiana in all three meetings in the regular season. If there’s a team they know they can beat right after a demoralizing loss, that would likely be the Pacers.
The Wizards are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games overall.
