Pacers

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The Wizards host the Pacers for a pivotal game in D.C.

Capital One Arena | 7 p.m. | NBCSW | 1500 AM

Wizards (39-30): G - Satoransky, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Pacers (40-29): G - Joseph, G – Oladipo, F - Bogdanovic, F - Young, C - Turner

Pacers: Domantas Sabonis (Ankle - Out), Myles Turner (Ankle - Questionable)

The Wizards and Pacers enter tonight's game separated by just one game in the standings and have split the season series, 1-1.  The winner of tonight's game will not only win the season series, but also own the tiebreaker, should these teams finish with the same record at the end of the year.  This means that with a win tonight, the Wizards would jump the Pacers in the standings, as both teams would be 40-30 and the Wiz would own tie tiebreaker.  With a loss, the Wiz would be two games back of the Pacers and without the tiebreaker, finishing ahead of Indiana would be a tough task with just 12 games left after this one.  The Cavs and Sixers are also right in the mix and within a game of these two teams, but this game tonight could very well determine home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Both teams have won on the other's home court, as the Wizards beat the Pacers, 111-102 back in early February in Indiana, and then the Pacers beat the Wizards in DC, 98-95, just a few weeks ago.  Victor Oladipo didn't play in the first meeting due to an illness, but he had 33 points to lead Indiana the last time out, including some big buckets late in the game.  The Pacers could be thin up front, as Domantas Sabonis will be out with an ankle injury and Myles Turner is questionable with an ankle injury of his own.

Keef Morris has increased his scoring and shooting numbers each month this season and is now shooting 54% in March and averaging just under 16 points per game.  He's shooting 48% from 3-point range this month and has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games for the second time this season.  He'll look to continue his hot shooting against a banged up Pacers' front line tonight.

Up next, the Wizards travel to San Antonio for a one game trip on Wednesday (8:00 p.m.).

pivotal-game-with-the-pacers

Pivotal game with the Pacers

The homestand continues tonight with the Indiana Pacers.

Capital One Arena | 6 p.m. | NBCSW | 1500 AM

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

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.

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 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.).

playoff-implications-in-tonights-battle-with-indiana

Playoff implications in tonight's battle with Indiana

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The Wizards look for their fifth straight win tonight in Indiana.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse | 7:00 p.m. | NBCSW | 1500 AM

Wizards (30-22): G - Satoransky, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Pacers (30-24): G - Collison, G - Oladipo, F - Bogdanovic, F - Young, C - Turner

Wizards: John Wall (Knee - Out), Sheldon Mac (Achilles - Out)

Pacers: Glenn Robinson III (Knee - Questionable), Myles Turner (Knee - Questionable)

The Wizards have a chance to win their fifth straight game tonight, which would be their longest win streak of the season.  The team has responded to losing their All-Star point guard John Wall in a remarkable way, going 4-0 while assisting on 76.3% of their field goals over the last four games, the highest percentage in the league.  They are averaging 33 assists per game over the last four, also tops in the leauge, and they have 25+ assists in five straight games.  All five starters were in double figures again in Saturday's win in Orlando, while the team held the Magic to under 100 points and improved to 15-2 on the season when holding teams under 100.

Tonight will be the first time the Wizards see the new-look Pacers, the last team in the Eastern Conference for the Wizards to play.  Indiana has won a season-high six straight home games and are a season-best six games over .500.  The Pacers are 11-5 over their last 16 games and have held opponents to 101 points per game and 31% shooting from 3-point range, which has ranked fourth in the NBA over that time.  The offseason may feel like a long time ago, but this will be the first time the Wizards face the Pacers with Victor Oladipo in their backcourt after he was acquired in the Paul George trade last summer.  Oladipo has broken out this season, averaging 24 points per game and will be going to his first All-Star Game later this month.

Since January 25th, Keef Morris has recorded five straight games with at least 15 points, averaging 18.4 points per game over that time.  It's the second longest streak of his career of scoring at least 15 points and the Wizards are 10-2 this season when he scored at least 15 in a game.  He's shot over 58% from the field and over 44% from 3-point range over this period.  The Wizards as a team have shot the ball well over the last week and it's been a complete team effort, but it's been exemplified by Morris as much as anyone.

Up next, the Wizards wrap their trip on Tuesday night in Philadelphia (8:00 p.m.)

Pacers

Pivotal game with the Pacers

Playoff implications in tonight's battle with Indiana

Wizards meet Pacers for first time