The Indiana Pacers begin life without All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton – he’s expected to miss a few weeks injured – on Wednesday as they host one of the NBA’s worst teams in the Washington Wizards. Despite missing their best player, Indiana is still a solid favorite on the NBA odds because the Wizards are so lousy. 2024 NBA Expert Analysis Washington vs. Indiana | MyBookie Sportsbook NBA Week 12
How to Bet Wizards at Pacers NBA Odds & TV Info
When: Wednesday, 7 PM ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
TV: NBA League Pass
Stream: NBA.com, NBA TV app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Pacers -7.5 (total 253)
Series History
This concludes the season series with the teams having split two games. Indiana opened the season at home with a 143-120 win over the Wizards, the highest-scoring season-opener in franchise history. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 20 points and 11 assists, and the Pacers were 20 of 43 from 3-point range. Eight players scored in double figures. When they played in DC on Dec. 15, the Pacers were upset 137-123. Kyle Kuzma scored 31 points, Jordan Poole added 30 and Tyus Jones had his second career triple-double of 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for Washington. The Wizards have won eight of the past 13 in the series.
Why Bet on Washington Wizards?
The Wizards lost their fifth game in a row Monday, 136-128 at home vs. Oklahoma City – Washington can score decently most nights but is easily the worst defensive team in the league. OKC went 59.1% (52 of 88) from the floor and 50% (14 of 28) from 3-point range, narrowly missing season highs in both categories. The Wizards lost despite going 46.9% (15 of 32) from 3-point range.
Wizards Last 5
vs Thunder – L136-128 |
vs Knicks – L121-105 |
@ Cavaliers – L114-90 |
@ Cavaliers – L140-101 |
vs Hawks – L130-126 |
Kyle Kuzma had 22 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in the loss. It was Kuzma’s fifth double-double of the season and first since Nov. 27, while the 15 boards were a season high. Over the last 15 games, Kuzma is still averaging 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. His six games with 30+ points and 24 games with 20+ points scored are the most in his career through the first 35 games of a season. He is one of 12 players in the NBA, to average 22+ points, 6+ rebounds and 4+ assists per game this season.
Jordan Poole has been a disappointment this season but had 24 points and five assists Monday. It was his best performance since he erupted for 30 points against the Magic on Dec. 26. Poole is still struggling to find consistency in Washington though, and he failed to produce more than 14 points in any of the six games between those big efforts. Since the beginning of December, Poole has averaged 15.7 points.
Point guard Tyus Jones continued his strong recent play with 19 points, nine assists and three steals, just missing his third double-double of the season. He’s averaging 15.5 points, 6.8 assists, 2.8 boards, 2.5 threes and 1.6 steals while shooting 56.9 percent from the floor and 56.1 percent from beyond the arc over the last 13 games. Jones is currently leading the NBA with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 6.5. He has 157 assists compared to just 22 turnovers over the team’s last 27 games and is averaging career-best 12.7 points and 5.6 assists per game this season.
Center Daniel Gafford has 22 multi-block games on the campaign, good for the third-most such games in the Eastern Conference this season. Forward Deni Avdija has three double-doubles over his past six games and is shooting a career-best .502 clip this season while averaging single-season highs in points (12.0) and assists (3.9) per game. The Wizards are averaging 27.6 assists per game, good for the eighth-best mark in the league.
Washington is one of two teams in the league this season with a pace of over 103.0 and is one of only 15 teams to have recorded a pace of 103.0-or-better since the stat became officially recorded in 1996-97. The current pace ranks as the second fastest in team history (since at least 1996-97), recording a pace of 104.1 in 2020-21.
Why Bet on Indiana Pacers?
The Pacers rallied to beat Boston 133-131 on Monday but that mattered little when Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton slipped on the court late in the first half and accidentally did the splits. Haliburton was driving to the basket against Derrick White when he planted and tried to spin back the other way. Unfortunately, his right leg gave out. He was carried off and suffered Grade 1 strain in his left hamstring. The All-Star will be re-evaluated in about two weeks.
Pacers Last 5
vs Lakers – L123-109 |
vs Celtics – W133-131 |
vs Celtics – L118-101 |
vs Hawks – W150-116 |
vs Bucks – W142-130 |
The 23-year-old is averaging 23.6 points and a league-leading 12.5 assists per game this season. He is on pace to become the first player since John Stockton in 1995 to average 12 assists in a season. Additionally, he led all Eastern Conference guards in the first return of fan votes for the 2024 All-Star Game, which will be played in Indianapolis. Largely thanks to Haliburton, the Pacers lead the league in scoring and their 122.4 offensive rating would be the best in NBA history.
Either Andrew Nembhard or TJ McConnell will likely replace Haliburton, but McConnell is the guy who should benefit most. He had 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds in 25 minutes Monday and when McConnell has played at least 20 minutes this season (10 games), he’s averaged 12.5 points, 7.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 23.0 minutes per game. McConnel ranks ninth in the NBA in assists-per-turnover ratio at 4.15. Nembhard ranks eighth in the NBA with 4.2 assists per game off the bench. He did start the second half Monday.
The Pacers are 18-4 this season when six or more players score in double figures. Jalen Smith has scored in double figures in nine appearances off the bench this season for an average of 10.2 points per game. He is shooting 66 percent from the field.
After a stretch of six losses over its previous seven outings, Indiana has won seven of its last eight outings. Over those eight games, Indiana has outscored opponents by 9.5 points per game, scored 128.9 points and shot 52.4 percent from the field. Defensively, the Pacers have held opponents to 119.4 points per game on 47.1 percent shooting (125.8 points allowed on 51 percent shooting over the first 28 games).
The Pacers lead the NBA in scoring this season with an average of 127.0, which would be the most in a season in NBA history (the highest average for a season was set by the Denver Nuggets with 126.5 points per game during the 1981-82 season).
Expert Prediction
Pacers 125, Wizards 118
NBA Conferences Winners
Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics +138 |
Milwaukee Bucks +195 |
Philadelphia 76ers +510 |
Miami Heat +1350 |
New York Knicks +1675 |
Cleveland Cavaliers +2300 |
Orlando Magic +5400 |
Indiana Pacers +6200 |
Atlanta Hawks +7500 |
Toronto Raptors +15000 |
Brooklyn Nets +18000 |
Chicago Bulls +20000 |
Washington Wizards +55000 |
Charlotte Hornets +55000 |
Detroit Pistons +60000 |
Bet on the Eastern Conference |
Western Conference
Denver Nuggets +200 |
LA Clippers +480 |
Phoenix Suns +700 |
Minnesota Timberwolves +850 |
Oklahoma City Thunder +900 |
Los Angeles Lakers +1100 |
Dallas Mavericks +1400 |
Sacramento Kings +1800 |
Golden State Warriors +2000 |
New Orleans Pelicans +2200 |
Houston Rockets +7000 |
Memphis Grizzlies +30000 |
Utah Jazz +50000 |
San Antonio Spurs +60000 |
Portland Trail Blazers +60000 |
Bet on the Western Conference |
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