Looking To Build Momentum, Pacers Visit Wizards

After a hard fought win over Miami, the Indiana Pacers will look to topple Washington on Friday.

The Indiana Pacers accomplished one mission on Wednesday, defeating the Miami Heat in what most still expect to be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Now the team will look to accomplish a second mission as it attempts to build some momentum with a road win over the playoff-bound Washington Wizards.

Tip-off at Verizon Center on Friday is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.

Thanks to an 84-83 victory over the Heat at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Indiana (52-20, 19-16 road) now sits three games clear at the top of the Eastern Conference with home-court advantage firmly in focus.

The two top dogs in the East still have one more game to play – a Friday night tilt down in South Beach on April 11 – but make no bones about it; the Pacers had to win this game. And win they did.

But while Frank Vogel’s side may have done just enough to enter postseason play with the No. 1 seed, without the right type of playing form the Pacers will be ripe for the picking, particularly in the second round where the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets or Toronto Raptors – all of whom are all of a sudden looking like tough outs – will likely be lying in wait.

That means the Pacers need to find consistent form and find it now.

Losers in three of four before the Miami game, Indiana has plenty to be unsettled about. But things have been even worse on the road.

The Pacers have lost three straight away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse and have gone 4-8 on the road since February 9. If that wasn’t bad enough, those four wins read like a who’s who of NBA ineptitude; the Pacers only beat the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons during that stretch.

Friday night offers a chance to start afresh, although winning is unlikely to be easy.

Washington (36-35, 17-17 home) has done just about enough to ensure a first playoff berth since the 2007-08 campaign but, like the Pacers, are lacking in momentum heading forward.

The Wizards have dropped four of their last five, including Wednesday’s 99-93 losing effort against the Phoenix Suns in D.C. Talking with the Washington Post, head coach Randy Wittman described his team as having “no intensity” in that game, a statement that has echoed true during this recent run of poor form.

Like the Pacers, the Wizards will need to find a consistent winning form if they’re to maintain the No. 6 seed and avoid a first round matchup with the Heat or Pacers.

As Indiana has struggled on the road of late, so has Washington struggled at home. The Wizards have dropped three of their last five at Verizon Center, where they’re now 17-17 on the season. But that doesn’t mean Friday will be a cake walk for the Pacers.

Washington has earned some big scalps at home during the season, knocking off the likes of Chicago and Miami as well as Western Conference high flyers the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers, before the latter began its descent down the standings. Adding the Pacers to that list of scalps will be firmly at the front of the Wizards’ mind.

But the Pacers have had the Wizards number in recent years. Indiana is 11-1 straight up against Washington over the last 12 contests, 4-1 in the last five played in the nation’s capital, and 2-0 during this season.

On January 10, the Pacers held the Wizards to 66 points, the lowest the team has scored since April 2012. On November 29, the Wizards were restricted to 73 points. For a team that averages 100.9 points per game, those numbers are alarmingly low – and testament to Indiana’s defensive prowess.

Both of those games were played in Indianapolis. Can the Wizards secure a different result in D.C.?

Indiana Pacers vs. Washington Wizards odds for 03/28/2014

Indiana opened as the favorite over Washington, not least because of recent history.

While they may have the straight up advantage, the Pacers are an unattractive prospect against the spread.

After beginning the year 28-12-0 ATS, Indiana (35-36-1 ATS) has covered the spread in just seven of its last 32 contests. Right now, the side has failed to cover in 14 of the last 16. If alarm bells aren’t ringing right now, you should be worried about your betting philosophy.

Things haven’t been much better for Washington (35-34-2 ATS). The Wizards are 2-8-0 ATS in their last 10 games and 2-5-1 ATS in the last eight played at Verizon Center. They’re also 0-2-0 ATS against Indiana this season.

The total opened at 190.5.

Washington (39-32-0) has favored the over this season while Indiana (29-41-2) has favored the under. Only Chicago and the Golden State Warriors have seen the under pay out more times than the Pacers this campaign.

The under looks like the smart bet in Friday’s matchup too, having paid out in six straight Pacers’ games and eight of the last nine. The under has also come through in four of Washington’s last five home games.

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