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The Wizards (2-4) will make a one-stop road trip to Indianapolis on Wednesday, taking on the Pacers (3-4) at 7:00 P.M. at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Washington is coming off its first home win of the season, 115-99, over the Pistons on Monday night. Indiana, on the other hand, is playing on the second leg of a back-to-back and will look to rebound from a 122-120 overtime loss in Charlotte on Tuesday.
Game Info
Bankers Life Fieldhouse | 7:00 P.M. | NBCSW | 1500 AM
Probable Starters
Wizards: G – Isaiah Thomas, G – Bradley Beal, F – Isaac Bonga, F – Rui Hachimura, C – Thomas Bryant
Pacers: G – Malcolm Brogdon, G – Jeremy Lamb, F – T.J. Warren, F – T.J. Leaf, C – Goga Bitadze
Injury Report
Wizards: Jordan McRae (Mallet finger – questionable), John Wall (left Achilles rehab – out), Ian Mahinmi (right Achilles strain – out)
Pacers: Domantas Sabonis (left calf contusion – questionable), Myles Turner (right ankle sprain – questionable), Jeremy Lamb (sprained left ankle - doubtful), Edmond Sumner (right hand fracture – out), Victor Oladipo (right knee surgery – out)
Storylines
Wizards bench looks to stay hot
The Wizards’ bench unit has been one of the league’s most prolific group of reserves through the first two weeks of the season, ranking second in the NBA with 49.0 points per game. Washington’s reserves rank second in the league in 3-pointers per game (7.5) and third in 3-point percentage (42.9). Three or more Wizards have scored 10-plus points off the bench in three consecutive games. As the Pacers grapple with frontcourt injuries, depth and bench performance could play a sizeable role in Wednesday night’s matchup. Indiana’s reserves average just 23.8 points per game, which ranks 29th in the league.
Bradley Beal: facilitator
Bradley Beal is scoring at a career-high rate of 26.5 points per game, but his most notable year-to-year improvement may be his playmaking. Beal, who ranks sixth in the league in usage rate among players averaging at least 10 minutes per game, has been called on to orchestrate more of the Washington offense than ever before – and he has responded accordingly. Beal is one of just seven players in the NBA averaging 26-plus points and six-plus assists per game and has recorded eight-plus assists three times in six games, a feat he accomplished just 14 times last season. Since the 2016-17 season, Beal has added an assist per game to his average each year and is currently averaging 6.3 dimes per game this season.
Short-handed Pacers search for consistency
After an 0-3 start to the season, the Pacers answered with three consecutive wins by an average of 10.0 points per game before last night’s overtime loss to the Hornets. To this point, much of Indiana’s success has been dependent on their ability to control the paint, getting to the free throw line and being active on the boards. The Pacers average 8.4 more free throw attempts per game and 9.3 more total rebounds per game in their three wins than in their four losses. Guard Malcolm Brogdon, who joined the team this summer, leads the team in points (23.7) and assists (9.4) per game and has scored 20-plus points in each of the team’s three wins this season. Brogdon and LeBron James are the only players this season with four-or-more point-assist double-doubles.