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Wizards aim for 4th straight win Wednesday hosting Pacers
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 11/5/2014  at  6:39:00 AM
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INDIANA PACERS (1-3)

at WASHINGTON WIZARDS (3-1)

Tip-off: Wednesday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Washington -9.5, Total: 188

The struggling Pacers head to the nation's capital on Wednesday night to take on a sizzling-hot Wizards team that has won three straight games.

Here is the BetDSI Sportsbook season betting preview for the Indiana Pacers:

Indiana is coming off an 87-81 home loss on Tuesday to the Bucks in which it was a four-point favorite, marking the club's third straight SU defeat (1-2 ATS). Meanwhile, Washington defeated the Knicks 98-83 on Tuesday as a 1.5-point favorite at Madison Square Garden for the team's third straight win and cover. Both of these teams are 3-1 Over this season. In the past three seasons, the Pacers are 9-4 SU, but only 6-7 ATS, when playing against the Wizards. Nine of those 13 games have finished Under the total. These numbers include Indiana’s 4-2 series victory in the Eastern Conference semifinals last postseason. There has, however, been a ton of turnover and both of these teams look extremely different than they did just a few months ago. There are some significant historical betting trends though, as Washington is 10-1 ATS after three consecutive covers as a favorite since 1996, while Indiana is 24-10 ATS in the first half of the season over the past two seasons. The Pacers are also 22-8 ATS in road games off an upset loss to a division rival as a favorite since then. Indiana is still playing without PF David West (ankle), and likely will be for the next week.

Can the Wizards roll to a double-digit win on Wednesday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Zach posted a 54% ATS mark (65-56-4) in NBA Best Bets last season, while StatFox Forecaster had a 53.4% ATS (207-181-12) in featured games last season. StatFox Scott and StatFox Gary are both off to a 67% ATS start (4-2) to the young season, as the five experts have combined for a 53.3% ATS record (16-14).

Indiana won its first game of the season, but it has been all downhill from there. This team is still defending at a high level, allowing just 94.3 PPG (6th in NBA), but the offense is averaging just 91.3 PPG (25th in NBA). The Pacers are without PG George Hill (knee), so their point guard spot has been an issue. They are averaging just 20.0 APG (23rd in NBA) and will need to move the ball better against the Wizards if they are going to pull off a major upset. One Indiana player who has really started strong this season is enigmatic C Roy Hibbert (15.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.0 BPG). Hibbert is shooting 60% from the field and is coming off a game against the Bucks in which he finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in 35 minutes of action. His confidence issues from last season are a thing of the past and he is looking like an All-Star once again. The problem is that he does not have any help, as the rest of the returning starters from last season's team are all injured. SF Chris Copeland (16.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG) is the team’s leading scorer, and he had 19 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of play against the Bucks. He’ll be relied upon to score against this Washington team, but he must play defense. If he is not committed on that end of the floor then Wizards SF Paul Pierce will certainly make him pay.

Washington is coming off of a statement win over the Knicks on Tuesday, where it completely dominated the second half, outscoring New York 58 to 48. SF Paul Pierce (13.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.3 APG) finished the game 5-of-10 from the field with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The veteran gives the Wizards somebody that they can rely on to hit timely shots, and he should be in for a big game against an Indiana team that lacks a solid defender at the small forward position. PG John Wall (19.0 PPG, 10.0 APG, 2.8 SPG) had 11 points and seven assists in 30 minutes against the Knicks. Washington didn’t need Wall to attack very often, so the All-Star just ran the offense and let the game come to him. He has improved his mid-range jumper and is going to have no problem shredding this Indiana defense. The Pacers are fresh off Tuesday's game where they allowed Bucks PG Brandon Knight to score 23 of his team’s 87 points, so Wall should be able to similarly exploit the Pacers’ point guards. C Marcin Gortat (16.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG) struggled against New York, finishing with just six points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes of play. But he will be the X-factor for Washington in this game, as he is one of the only players who will be dealing with a truly talented player. The 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert is capable of causing him Gortat serious problems on both ends of the floor, so he’ll need to bring his intensity level up while also staying out of foul trouble. Every win the Wizards can pick up before SG Bradley Beal (leg) returns is huge, as this team was not expected to finish among the East’s top four teams once it was revealed that its star shooting guard was going to be out for two months.


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