Wizards vs Pacers Recap: NBA Saturday

The Washington Wizards looked to continue their efforts to get back to .500 on Saturday night. They hosted the Indiana Pacers, a team that has struggled for weeks.

The Wizards, who were playing without Kyle Kuzma, won the game in a contest that was not close as time expired. They put up a double-digit margin of victory, winning by 14 points, mainly thanks to a very strong first half. The final score was Indiana 113, and Washington 127 as the Wizards are now just three games below .500.

Pacers @ Wizards Saturday: Bradley Beal scores 32

With the loss, the Pacers are now 25-33 overall on the season. Their recent form continues to be the worst in the league.

Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and seven assists, however, the Pacers dropped their 15th decision in their last 17 games. Now 8 games below .500, it is hard to picture Indiana turning things around and making the playoffs. Certainly, all of the teams around them in the standings have more momentum at this point.

Indiana Pacers: Recent Form Alert

• Indiana Pacers were 23-18 (January 10th, 2023)
• Following Saturday’s game, they are 25-33
• Indiana is now 2-15 in their last 17 games (.118)

Meanwhile, the Wizards improved to 26-29 with the 14-point victory. The top scorer in the game was Bradley Beal. He had an impressive 32 points in the contest.

Washington is up to 9th in the standings as the complexion of their season continues to look better. Right now, the Wizards need wins to guard against both Toronto and Chicago on the play-in tournament bubble.

However, Washington can still hope for a top-eight finish. While the 7th or 8th seed will not avoid the play-in tournament, it would create a home-game scenario in that event to avoid elimination. The Wizards have a three-game mini-road trip coming up before the All-Star break, a trip that will take them through Golden State, Portland, and then Minnesota.

Further reading: NBA Power Rankings