One could hazard a guess that Washington and Indiana might appear capable of producing an entertaining offensive contest, but when you dig into the numbers, it's difficult to envision where a surge of points is supposed to come from. Both teams rank 22nd or worse in scoring and their perimeter shooting has been particularly troublesome. Washington ranks 29th in three-point percentage, converting just 29.6% of its attempts, while Indiana sits 25th at 33.5%. That's hardly the foundation for an explosive spectacle. As the powers to be would have it, the Wizards might struggle to shoot from beyond the arc, but they're actually one of the league's best outfits at defending it. Washington ranks second in the NBA in opponent three-point percentage, allowing teams to convert just 31.3% of their attempts. Think about that. The Wizards can't shoot threes but they won't let anyone else do so either. Sorry, Indiana.
What we have are two offenses struggling to generate points consistently, two teams shooting poorly from distance, and a Washington defense that's particularly effective at limiting the very shots Indiana has struggled to make. The Pacers, meanwhile, possess a middle-of-the-road defense, which hardly suggests Washington's offensive problems are suddenly going to disappear. The underlying metrics provided suggest a game where scoring opportunities could prove difficult to manufacture. At a mid-range total, I'll gladly take the Under.
Wizards vs. Pacers prediction: Under 226.5 (-106) available at time of publishing. Playable to Under 226.
