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Wizards vs. Pacers preview: Washington hosts Indiana in critical game for playoff positioning

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Game Info

When: Saturday, March 17 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena
TV: NBC Sports Washington
Win probability: Washington has a 58 percent chance of winning according to Kevin Broom’s Win Predictor and a 64 percent chance according to FiveThirtyEight.

Injury Report

Wizards: John Wall (Out, Knee)

Pacers: Myles Turner (Questionable, Ankle), Domantas Sabonis (Out, Ankle)

What to Watch for

What’s at stake

The winner of Saturday’s game will win the season series and own the head-to-head tiebreaker if they finish the season tied in the East standings. Head-to-head record supersedes all other tiebreakers when teams finish with the same record. If both teams finish tied for fourth, this game could be the difference between playing a Game 7 at home or on the road.

Can the Wizards slow down Victor Oladipo?

Oladipo (DID YOU KNOW HE WENT TO DEMATHA???) had an odd game. He had 33 points, but only made six shots in the flow of the team’s half court offense. Everything else either came from buckets he got in transition or by getting to the free throw line.

For as much success as the Wizards have had on the offensive glass lately, this might be a game where they want to lay back and focus more on preventing fast breaks. Washington will still have their hands full covering Oladipo even if they cut off fast breaks, but at least they can make the game more manageable.

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