- The Washington Wizards are 3.5-point favorites and -160 on the moneyline against the Indiana Pacers.
- The Pacers come back as +140 betting underdogs in the win-or-go-home matchup.
- The Wizards lost to the Celtics 118-100 while the Pacers beat Charlotte 144-117 in their first play-in game.
WASHINGTON – The Washington Wizards are favored to beat the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night and earn the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
NBA bettors might be surprised considering how the two teams looked in their first play-in game.
Washington lost to the struggling Boston Celtics 118-100, scoring their lowest point total with both Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal in the lineup since January 29. Indiana dismantled the Charlotte Hornets by a score of 144-117 and never trailed the entire game.
Are Sportsbooks Underreacting?
Postseason games are a different brand of basketball than in the regular season. Players don’t take defensive possessions off, the referees call the game differently and there’s the added sense of pressure at every moment.
Online sportsbooks may not be adjusting their betting odds enough after how bad the Wizards looked and how good the Pacers were in their first play-in games.
Washington went just 3-21 from behind the arc and, as mentioned, had their worst offensive performance with Beal and Westbrook in the lineup in nearly four months. Not only did they struggle offensively, but they also allowed Jayson Tatum to drop 50 on them with Kemba Walker contributing 29 points as well.
However, the Pacers looked phenomenal in their game against the Hornets. Indiana shot 55.2% from the field including 45.7% from deep. Admittedly, the Hornets are a lesser opponent than the Celtics, but the sentiment stands.
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There seems to be little reason why the Wizards are favored, nonetheless by multiple points. The Pacers seem to not only have betting value on the spread, but on the moneyline as well.
Washington Wizards vs Indiana Pacers Betting Odds
- Moneyline: WSH -160, IND +140
- Spread: WSH -3.5
- Total: O/U 240.5
Can The Wizards Flip The Script?
Before the first play-in game, Washington was one of the hottest teams in the league. The offense was playing extremely well and is definitely the driving force of the team. The Wizards allowed a league-worst 118.5 points per game this season and that number doesn’t seem to be dropping anytime soon.
The Wizards are used to needing 125+ points to win and they’ll likely need to hit that mark and maybe more to beat the Pacers who are averaging 126.8 points per game since the start of May.
It’s extremely possible that both teams score 140+ points in this game at which point any team can get the win, but it seems like the Pacers have more paths to a victory.
In a game like this, bettors may tend to gravitate towards betting on the Over or Under. The current line of 240.5 points is a high total, but these teams could definitely be the ones to go past it.
How to Watch
The game is set to start at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday and will be aired on TNT.
Nick got involved with the world of sports at a young age and never turned his back on it. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Broadcast/Journalism. In his free time, you can catch him at the bottom of the leaderboards on any video game he’s playing.
