Wizards Host Pacers in Play-In Game
The Washington Wizards play host to the Indiana Pacers in the eight-seed play-in game at Verizon Center on Friday.
The Pacers have the tough task of trying to win two games to get into the playoffs, and they accomplished the first half of that goal on Tuesday. They did it in dominating fashion, handing the Charlotte Hornets a 144-117 beatdown. They started that blowout with a 40-24 first quarter and never allowed the Hornets to get within a single-digit margin after that. Domantas Sabonis was special in that spectacle, collecting 14 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists. They also got good performances from guys like Malcolm Brogdon, Doug McDermott and Oshae Brissett, which is nice to see since they are missing Caris LeVert and Myles Turner. The status of LeVert is the big thing here because no one knows if he'll be ready due to COVID protocols. He's one of the most valuable players on this team, and it'd be hard to imagine them doing much in the postseason without him.
The Wizards had an ugly showing in the first play-in game, losing to the Boston Celtics, 118-100. Those 118 points allowed have been the issue all year, and it's scary that Boston did that despite shooting below 40 percent from the field. Washington ranked dead-last in points allowed in the regular season, and that's worrisome against a potent offense like the Pacers. They also need better performances from their stars, with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook combining to shoot 16-of-43 from the field and 1-of-10 from three-point range. That won't get it done in a game like this, and it remains to be seen if Beal is healthy enough to get Washington into the postseason.
These teams played three times during the regular season, with Washington sweeping the season series. Every game was high-scoring, with no team scoring less than 124 points in any of those meetings.
The Pacers have the tough task of trying to win two games to get into the playoffs, and they accomplished the first half of that goal on Tuesday. They did it in dominating fashion, handing the Charlotte Hornets a 144-117 beatdown. They started that blowout with a 40-24 first quarter and never allowed the Hornets to get within a single-digit margin after that. Domantas Sabonis was special in that spectacle, collecting 14 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists. They also got good performances from guys like Malcolm Brogdon, Doug McDermott and Oshae Brissett, which is nice to see since they are missing Caris LeVert and Myles Turner. The status of LeVert is the big thing here because no one knows if he'll be ready due to COVID protocols. He's one of the most valuable players on this team, and it'd be hard to imagine them doing much in the postseason without him.
The Wizards had an ugly showing in the first play-in game, losing to the Boston Celtics, 118-100. Those 118 points allowed have been the issue all year, and it's scary that Boston did that despite shooting below 40 percent from the field. Washington ranked dead-last in points allowed in the regular season, and that's worrisome against a potent offense like the Pacers. They also need better performances from their stars, with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook combining to shoot 16-of-43 from the field and 1-of-10 from three-point range. That won't get it done in a game like this, and it remains to be seen if Beal is healthy enough to get Washington into the postseason.
These teams played three times during the regular season, with Washington sweeping the season series. Every game was high-scoring, with no team scoring less than 124 points in any of those meetings.