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The Wizards return home on Wednesday to host the Indiana Pacers at 8:00 P.M. After a 1-2 road trip, Washington is now 21-29. The Pacers sit at 32-17, but recently lose All-Star guard Victor Oladipo for the season. The game will be televised locally on NBC Sports Washington as well as nationally on ESPN.
Game Info
Capital One Arena | 8:00 P.M. | NBC Sports Washington / ESPN | 1500 AM
Probable Starters
Wizards: G – Tomas Satoransky, G – Bradley Beal, F – Trevor Ariza, F – Jeff Green, C – Thomas Bryant
Pacers: G – Darren Collison, G – Edmond Sumner, F – Bojan Bogdanovic, F – Thaddeus Young, C – Myles Turner
Injury Report
Wizards: Dwight Howard (aggravated gluteal soreness – out), John Wall (left heel soreness – out), Markieff Morris (transient cervical neuropraxia – out)
Pacers: Tyreke Evans (sore lower back – out), Victor Oladipo (ruptured quad tendon, right knee – out)
Storylines
Wizards open three-game homestand
The Wizards will take on the Pacers Wednesday, Bucks this Saturday, and Hawks on Monday in a pivotal three-game homestand. Considering the Wizards are on the road most of February, winning these games at home will be key down the stretch. Washington has won 12 of its last 16 home games, with the losses coming to the Warriors and Bulls in regulation and the Celtics and Raptors in at least one overtime. Much of that success comes from defensive improvement: In nine home games in the past month, the Wizards rank ninth in the NBA in defensive rating, quite the upgrade from their 24th ranking on the season. The Wizards defended homecourt since mid-November, now 15-9 on the season at Capital One Arena.
Pacers without Oladipo
Similar to the Wizards had to, the Pacers must now accept the rest of the season without their All-Star in Victor Oladipo. The Pacers have played two games since Oladipo went down, losing a close one to the Grizzlies in Memphis and getting blown out by the red-hot Warriors on Monday. Overall, the Pacers rank first in the NBA in opponent points per game (103.8), fifth in field goal percentage (47.8%) and 3-point percentage (37.3%), and fourth in opponent turnover percentage (16.3%). Indiana can bring it on both ends of the court and will be a tough matchup on the second night of a back-to-back.
Still, even without Oladipo, the Pacers play hard and rank third in the NBA in defensive efficiency (104.7 defensive rating). That number is even better without Oladipo on the court this season; their 102.9 points per 100 possessions allowed would rank first in the NBA. Indiana is obviously not better without Oladipo, but the team withstood a stretch earlier this season without their star. The Pacers beat the Wizards on December 10 in Indiana without Oladipo.
Both teams on back-to-backs
The Wizards will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back after the game in Cleveland on Tuesday. Partially as a result of playing in London a few weeks ago, Washington is finishing a stretch of five games in seven days. The Wizards are 6-2 on the second night of back-to-backs this season, with losses against the Pacers and the Rockets on the road. Endurance will be put to the test once again on Wednesday.
The Pacers are on the first night of a back-to-back, in which they are also 6-2 this season. Indiana is an impressive 12-4 on the season on back-to-backs overall, with losses to Milwaukee, Cleveland, Boston, and Toronto. Indiana most recently played on Monday against Golden State in an emotional game, but it was not very close past the first quarter.