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The Wizards head to Indiana Friday night riding a three-game win streak. The Pacers are looking to rebound from a loss to Boston on Wednesday. Both teams have won five out of their last ten. A win against Indiana would be a strong statement for the Wizards as they look to re-establish themselves as a playoff team.
The Pacers find themselves as one of several teams fighting for the title of "second best in the East," a group the Wizards expected to be among at the start of the season. Much like the Wizards, the Pacers revamped themselves as a pace and space team at the start of the season. Unlike the Wizards, however, they have maintained their defensive identity, with one of the best defensive ratings in the league (98.1, compared to 103.7 for the Wizards). Like the Wizards, Indiana forces a lot of turnovers and score in transition, unlike the Wizards, Indiana is very good at defending the three-point line.
With Otto Porter a game-time decision and Bradley Beal still working himself into game shape, the Wizards will need big defensive games from Garrett Temple and Kelly Oubre against All-NBA wing Paul George. The team will also need to limit live-ball turnovers and defend well in transition, something they struggled with against Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Game Info
When: Friday, January 14, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Watch: CSN Washington, Fox Sports Indiana
Listen: WNEW 99.1 in the DMV, 1070 the Fan in Indianapolis
Injury Report
Kris Humphries, Marcin Gortat, and Alan Anderson are out for the Wizards. Otto Porter is a game-time decision. Rodney Stuckey is out for the Pacers.
Most likely Wizard Killer
When these two teams met on November 24, C.J. Miles lit up the Wizards for 32 points, shooting 8-9 from three. Though it’s unlikely he’ll shoot that well again, look for him have another big game as the Wizards best wing defenders focus their attention on George.
All data from nba.com and current as of 1/14/16.