Wizards 24-35 vs Pacers 38-20
When: Saturday, February 23rd, at 7 p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.
TV: NBCSWA, FSIND / Radio: 1500 AM, 1070 The Fan/ 107.5 FM
Injury
Wizards: Dwight Howard (Day to Day/ Back), John Wall (Out for the season/ Haglund’s deformity and chronic Achilles tendon injury)
Pacers: Victor Oladipo ( Out for the season/ Ruptured Right Quad), Tyreke Evans (Day to Day/ Ankle), Myles Turner ( Day to Day/ Hip)
Wizards -
113.8 - points per game
117.0 - points against
46.9 - Field goal %
Pacers -
108.1 - points per game
102.9 - points against
47.8 - field goal %
Keep an eye on:
Improved Chemistry: After the trade to acquire Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker and Wesley Johnson, Washington had to throw these three into the fire right away with little to no practice time. Individually, the results are promising. In four games, Portis is averaging 19 points and 7.3 rebounds, Parker is putting up 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds and Wesley Johnson adds 5.8 points and 2 rebounds per game. Ideal production overall with the lack of chemistry. The all-star break came right on time. It allowed the Wizards to finally get in the gym together to practice and to prepare for a playoff push. Washington currently sits three games behind the 8th place Pistons with 24 games remaining in the season. An improved chemistry will be pivotal during the home stretch of the season.
Defend the three: One of the many season long pitfalls for the Wizards is defending three pointers. Washington ranks 30th in the NBA in defending the three, Indiana is 5th in the NBA in shooting the three at 37 percent. In a 107-89 win over Indiana on January 30th, Washington held the Pacers to 29 percent shooting from deep, cruising to victory. When Washington defends (and rebound), a win usually follows. Will it happen? Stay tuned!
