Indiana has played five of its last six games on the road, going just 2-3 in those contests outside the friendly confines of Bankers Life Field house. After hosting Washington on Friday, the Blue & Gold will embark on a difficult four-game Western Conference road trip that includes games against the defending NBA champion Warriors and a Sacramento Kings team that won in Indianapolis in December, plus visits to two cities (Denver and Phoenix) where the Pacers have historically struggled.
Match up:
On the surface, Friday's game against the Washington Wizards (18-19)
might seem to be just another mid-January game for the Pacers (22-17).
But given where it falls on the schedule, Friday's game against John
Wall and the Wizards takes on an added importance.
For that reason, it is nearly imperative that the Pacers take care of business on Friday against an under performing and banged-up Wizards team. Though they return the core of the team that has reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals for two consecutive seasons, Washington has struggled mightily in 2015-16. The Wizards haven't had a winning record since Nov. 25 and currently are tied with the Knicks for 10th place in the East. Washington's injury report for Wednesday's game against Milwaukee listed a whopping seven players as questionable or worse, though four of them were ultimately able to play against the Bucks.
The Pacers, on the other hand, are mostly healthy with the exception of sixth man Rodney Stuckey, who is expected to miss at least two weeks with a sprain and bone bruise in his right foot. Stuckey suffered the injury in the first quarter of Tuesday's win over Phoenix and did not travel with the team for Wednesday's game in Boston.
In Stuckey's absence, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel has been giving his minutes to reserve guard/forwards Chase Budinger and Glenn Robinson III. Unlike Stuckey, neither of those players is capable of running the point, which meant starters George Hill and Monta Ellis handled all of the point guard duties in Wednesday's loss in Boston. Back at home, Vogel might opt to give a few spot minutes at the point to rookie Joe Young to spell his starting backcourt.
The Wizards' strength lies at the point guard position, where All-Star John Wall is having another stellar season. The 6-4 speedster is averaging 19.6 points and is tied for second in the NBA in assists, with 9.6 per contest. Historically a poor outside shooter, Wall is shooting a career-best 35.2 percent from 3-point range, including a .545 clip (12-for-22) over his last five games.
Pacers: Rodney Stuckey - out (right foot sprain and bone bruise), George Hill - questionable (personal reasons)
Wizards: Alan Anderson - out (left ankle surgery), Bradley Beal - probable (sore right leg), Marcin Gortat - out (sore left knee), Kris Humphries - out (sore right knee), Nene - probable (strained right triceps), Gary Neal - probable (flu-like symptoms), Otto Porter - doubtful (sore right hip)
Wizards head coach Randy Wittman is a Hoosier native, Ben Davis High School & Indiana University Graduate and Pacers alumni player (1989-1992). While playing at IU, Randy was teammates with former Pacers coach Isiah Thomas.
November 24, 2015: Paul George and C.J. Miles put on a shooting clinic as the Pacers rolled to a 123-106 victory in Washington. Indiana set a franchise record by making 19 3-pointers in the win, with George and Miles combining to go an absurd 15-for-17 from beyond the arc.
George led all scorers with 40 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Miles added 32 points, making 8-of-9 attempts from 3-point range.
PHOTO GALLERY: Pacers' Last 10 Games vs the Wizards »
Gary Neal led Washington with 23 points. Bradley Beal added 20 points and John Wall chipped in 18 points, four rebounds, and five assists.
The Pacers are 60-22 all-time against the Wizards in games played in Indianapolis and lead the all-time series with Washington, 93-72.
Indiana is a perfect 6-0 on the year in games played on a Friday.
Paul George needs 16 assists to reach 1,000 for his career.
Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Slick Leonard (analyst) Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Please Note: Inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Pacers radio broadcasts can be heard on 1080 AM instead of 1070.
Article Source: http://www.nba.com/pacers/preview-pacers-wizards-160115
