Wizards at Pacers
THE STORY: The Washington Wizards did the Indiana Pacers a major favor last weekend by stunning the Bobcats in Charlotte. The Pacers are hoping for similar charity Wednesday night as they look to secure a playoff berth at the expense of the visiting Wizards. Indiana is on the verge of locking up eighth spot in the conference, and can bolster their chance against a Washington team that has been epically bad on the road this season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSW, FSIN
ABOUT THE PACERS (35-43): Indiana had built some momentum thanks to an impressive 3-0 homestand, but suffered several defensive lapses on the way to a 108-96 loss to the host New Orleans Hornets on Sunday. The Pacers allowed the Hornets to shoot better than 51 percent from the field and were outrebounded by a 48-33 margin. Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy led the way with 15 points apiece for Indiana, which comes into the game 2 1/2 games up on Charlotte for eighth place in the East. A win over Washington combined with a Bobcats loss to Orlando will give Indiana the final playoff berth in the conference.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (21-56): It took them long enough, but the Wizards may finally have the hang of winning. They gutted out a 107-105 triumph over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday for their third straight win and fourth in the past five games. The recent hot streak won't be nearly enough to dig the Wizards out of the East doldrums, but it should give Washington fans reason for at least a glimmer of optimism as the regular season draws to a close. Rookie John Wall did it all against Detroit, scoring 26 points and adding 12 assists, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Andray Blatche was the other star for Washington with 26 points and 10 boards.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Granger continues to struggle in the second half, averaging nearly 2.5 points per game fewer than he did before the All-Star break. He has failed to break the 20-point plateau in his last five contests. Wall is headed in the opposite direction, averaging 3.2 points more in the second half than he did before the break.
KEY STATISTIC: 04/09/2008 – The last time the Washington Wizards boasted a three-game winning streak. Wall was a junior in high school at the time.
SEASON SERIES: Indiana has won two of three meetings so far this season, including a 113-96 triumph in their last encounter Feb. 22. Indiana has victories in six of the last eight head-to-head games overall.
KEY INJURIES: INDIANA: None. WASHINGTON: F Josh Howard (knee); G Nick Young (knee); C Hamady N'Diaye (knee); F Trevor Booker (foot); F Rashard Lewis (knee).
LAST WORD: “So this is what it feels like, huh?” – Wall, after the Wizards beat Charlotte 97-91 on Sunday for their second straight road win. They're just 3-35 away from Washington for the season.