addByline("Jeremy Hyman", "WashingtonWizards.com", "jeremyhyman");
The homestand continues tonight with the Indiana Pacers.
Game Info
Capital One Arena | 6 p.m. | NBCSW | 1500 AM
Probable Starters
Wizards (36-27): G - Satoransky, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat
Pacers (35-27): G - Joseph, G – Oladipo, F - Bogdanovic, F - Young, C - Turner
Wizards: John Wall (Knee - Out)
Pacers: Darren Collison (Knee - Out)
Storylines
Wizards and Pacers Race to Playoffs
The Wizards will welcome the Pacers to D.C. for the first time this season and the two teams enter tonight's game separated by just a half game in the Eastern Conference. With the playoffs just six weeks away, it's about the time of the season where each one of these games against playoff teams means that much more with seeding at stake.
The Wizards beat the Pacers in Indiana last month and the two teams play just three times this year, so if the Wizards can protect home court tonight, they'll not only move 1.5 games ahead of the Pacers, but also will own the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Wizards and Pacers will meet for the third and final time in two weeks in D.C.
The Wizards have beaten the Pacers in four straight games and five of their last seven.
Pacers Finish Four-Game Road Trip
After losing back-to-back road games against two non-playoff teams in Dallas and Atlanta, the Pacers bounced back with a big win in Milwaukee on Friday night, beating the Bucks 103-96. The Pacers nearly let a double-digit fourth quarter lead slip away, but held on in the final minute to secure a big road win. Victor Oladipo led Indiana with 21 points, while Lance Stephenson added 16 off the bench.
In the Wizards last meeting with the Pacers, Oladipo sat out the game with an illness, but he'll be in the lineup tonight and will be Indiana's number one option, as he's been all season. The Maryland native has scored over 20 points in each game on Indiana's current road trip and the Wizards will try and keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible tonight.
Otto Catching Fire
Otto Porter Jr. has scored 20+ points in three of his last four games and is averaging 26.5 points over his last two. He's made multiple 3-pointers in six straight games and is shooting 52% (17/33) from 3-point range over that time. After he averaged just over 11 points in January, he averaged over 19 points in February and started off March with 24 points in Friday's game against the Raptors. The Wizards will need Porter to keep playing at a high level to attain their goals this season, so the team will look to keep getting him shots as he continues to shoot the ball well.
Up next, the Wizards wrap up their trip on Tuesday night against the Heat (7:00 p.m.).