Look for a Tons of Points as Pacers Host Wizards

The Washington Wizards (31-36 SU, 38-28-1 ATS) take on the Indiana Pacers (31-35 SU, 27-39 ATS) for the third time this season and second in less than a week on Saturday night. The Wizards won both meetings this season and both games went OVER the number including a wild 154-141 game on Monday. These teams are on a crash course to face each other in the league’s play-in tournament.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The game opened with the Wizards as favorites at -3 and has remained steady at that number. Meanwhile, the total is a lofty 246.5 points but could be achievable in this matchup.

Washington News & Notes

The Washington Wizards are in 10th in the Eastern Conference and on pace to face the Pacers for their playoff lives in a little over a week. Luckily for the Wiz, they have beaten the Pacers twice already this season and seem to be able to score at will on them.

Washington scored 132 and 154 points in its two wins over Indiana this season including an insane 35 point, 21 assist, 14 rebound triple-double from Russell Westbrook back in March. On Monday, Westbrook accomplished a similar feat with a 14 point, 24 assist, and 21 rebound follow-up to his previous performance.

Scoring has not been an issue for the Wizards who have scored more than 120 points in seven of their last nine games. It helps to have the league’s second-leading scorer in addition to Westbrook. Only Steph Curry averages more points than Bradley Beal’s 31.1 points per game this season.

Indiana News & Notes

The Indiana Pacers have a couple of stars of their own including big man Domantas Sabonis who posted 32 points, 19 rebounds and 9 assists in Monday’s loss to Washington. Sabonis is fourth in the league averaging 11.8 rebounds per game and is one of only seven players who are averaging more than 20 points per game and more than 10 rebounds per game.

Despite Sabonis’s dominance, the Pacers rank 26th in the league in rebounds per game this season and 29th in rebound percentage.

The Pacers do, however, rank highly in assist percentage (sixth) and assists per game (second). The strong assist numbers are due in large part to all-star point guard Malcolm Brogdon as well as Sabonis. Brogdon averages 5.3 assists per game and actually leads the team in scoring with 21.2 points per game. Sabonis averages a team-high 6.3 assists per game. Unfortunately for the Pacers, Brogdon is questionable for this matchup with a hamstring injury.