The Washington Wizards return to action to host the Indiana Pacers in the second of a back-to-back on Friday night
Washington Wizards (15-39) (10-18, home) vs. Indiana Pacers (15-41) (5-23, away)
When: Friday, February 20l 7:00 PM
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington D.C.
TV: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass
After the first game off the all-star break, the Washington Wizards start the second half of the season in the win column after going into the break on a three-game losing skid. Washington will be set to play the Indiana Pacers for the second consecutive game off of a back-to-back on Friday.
Washington won 112-105 on Thursday against the Pacers with seven Wizards finishing with double digits in the scoring column, four of them having a team-high 13-points.
A new face joined the Wizards, Capital City Go-Go star Alondes Williams played 28 minutes with Washington and debuted six-points, five-rebounds, and five-assists after getting called up for a ten-day contract earlier in the week.
Fridays game, Washington will look for one key takeaway that made the game closer than it should have been as opposed to Thursday’s contest, keep the sizeable leads. The Wizards in the second half went up by as much as 17 early in the third but could not keep it when the Pacers took a one-point lead early in the fourth when they responded with a 14-3 run.
Eventually, Washington handled business and put the Pacers away with their own 14-0 run late.
As of Friday morning, the Wizards injury report remains the same with Alex Sarr, Trae Young, and D’Angelo Russell all on the report listed to remain sidelined with questions about whether Russell will ever join the team. General manager Will Dawkins previously noted the two sides were in communication following the trade that materialized prior to the deadline. For Indiana, T.J. McConnell and Kam Jones are listed as game-time decisions ahead of tipoff. Jones and Aaron Nesmith both left by halftime with separate injuries, however there is no update on Nesmith for Friday’s matchup.
Washington now officially leads the in-season series against Indiana 2-1, with Friday’s matchup concluding their matchups for the season. A game in which could be critical for draft placement as both teams round out the bottom of the Eastern conference, and bottom of the league. The Wizards now tie the Brooklyn Nets with identical records, a possible second straight win for Washington and a potential loss for Brooklyn against the Oklahoma City Thunder can bump themselves up to the 13th seed in the east.