Tip-off: Friday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Washington -5.0, Total: 214.5

The Wizards will be looking to start another home winning streak beginning with a victory over the Pacers on Friday.

Indiana is coming off of a 132-117 home loss against Cleveland on Wednesday, and that loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Pacers. Beating the defending champs is, however, no easy task, and this Indiana team can’t dwell on it for long. This matchup with the Wizards on Friday is going to be a battle, and the Pacers need to be there mentally. Washington rebounded from its loss to Cleveland on Feb. 6 by beating Brooklyn 114-110 as a 10-point road favorite. The Wizards have now won eight of their past 10 games and 14 of their past 17. They’re playing well on both ends of the floor, and they’ll hope to keep that up in this matchup with the Pacers. In two meetings with Indiana this season, Washington is 2-0 ATS but the teams have split wins SU. Both of them won when playing on their home floor, but it’s worth noting that eight of the past nine games played between these teams has gone Over the total. Another trend that needs to be pointed out is that Indiana is 11-1 ATS in road games after a blowout loss by 15 points or more over the past three seasons. It’s not all bad for Washington, though. The Wizards also have an impressive trend working in their favor, as they are 8-1 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points this season. PF Thaddeus Young (Wrist) is expected to miss Friday’s game and Saturday’s game for Indiana, and SF Markieff Morris (Calf) is questionable for this game for Washington.

The Pacers are coming off of a loss to the Cavaliers, but that is not something that this Indiana team should be too upset about. Instead, this group needs to focus on Washington and do its best to continue to get better. SF Paul George (22.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.7 SPG) getting back on track is something that this Pacers team does need right now. George is struggling recently, shooting just 41.6% from the floor and 29.0% from three over the past five games. Those numbers must go up soon, as George is the leader of this Pacers team and needs to find a way to get easier buckets. C Myles Turner (15.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.2 BPG) also needs to find his stroke for Indiana. Turner is really not shooting the ball well right now, as he has hit just 39.2% of his shots from the field over the past five games. It’s hard to believe that the Pacers were winning with George and Turner struggling, but that shows how scary this team can be when they both get rolling. PG Jeff Teague (15.9 PPG, 8.2 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.5 SPG) is one guy that has played well for Indiana, though. Teague is running the offense to perfection for the Pacers, and he’ll need to find a way to hold his own against Wall in this one. He has done just that in two meetings with them this season, averaging 21.0 PPG and 10.5 APG in those games.

The Wizards got back into the win column on Wednesday, and PG John Wall (23.0 PPG, 10.5 APG, 4.5 RPG, 2.2 SPG) continues to play the best basketball of his career for Washington. Wall has struggled with his shot recently, but he is still averaging 23.4 PPG and 12.2 APG over the past five contests. He has become a lot better at getting himself to the free throw line, and that allows him to be productive in games where his shot is not falling. He also rarely has nights where he doesn’t do a good job of including his teammates, as he has now had 10 or more assists in six straight games. SG Bradley Beal (22.4 PPG) emerging as one of the better shooting guards in the league is something that has helped Wall greatly, though. Beal is having a ridiculous season for Washington, shooting 47.0% from the floor and 39.2% from three. He was always a guy that flashed the potential to be one of the better shooters in the league, and he has finally lived up to that promise lately. Over the past two games, Beal is averaging 36.0 PPG and 5.0 APG. If he can hit the 30-point mark on Friday then it’s tough to imagine the Pacers keeping this close.