Wizards 3-1 vs Pacers 1-4
When: Friday, October 28th, at 7:30p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
TV: ESPN, NBCS Washington,
Radio: WFNI-FM/AM, WTEM
Injury
Wizards: Corey Kispert (Out/ Left Ankle Sprain), Delon Wright (Out, Right Hamstring Strain)
Pacers: Kendall Brown (Out, Two-way), Trevelin Queen (Out, Two-Way), Daniel Theis (Out, Right Knee;Sore)
Keep an eye on:
Pacers Backcourt: of Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield is one of the most lethal back courts offensively in the NBA. Haliburton is quickly rising as one of the top floor generals in the league with averages of 22.6 points, 10 assists (3rd in the NBA), 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game and is currently on pace to join the exclusive 50/40/90 club with shooting percentages of 50 percent from the field, 41 percent from deep and 92 percent from the free throw line. He has been on a terror to start the season.
Buddy Hield has been solid all around, averaging 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game on a ridiculous 42 percent shooting from deep. Washington got a taste of whats to come in the preseason. Now that the games count, they will have to be on string defensively to contain the Pacers backcourt, especially with defensive ace Delon Wright out for a while with a hamstring injury.
Rim Protection: will be something to keep an eye on throughout tonights game. With the return of Myles Turner (who did not play in the preseason match-up), easy baskets will be hard to come by for Washington. However, they shouldn't shy away from Turner, but attack him in hopes of getting him in foul trouble. The Pacers come in second in the NBA in blocks averaging 8.4 blocks per game. Four Pacers average between 1.4 and 4 blocks per game, with Turner leading the way. Porzingis ability to stretch the floor will be a big factor tonight. If he's on his game, Turner will be forced to leave the paint to contest him which opens things up for the rest of the Wizards to get to the baskets. This is a nice chess game to definitely keep an eye on.
Bennedict Mathurin: is not your average rookie. He made headlines before even being drafted where he said "Lebron(James) is going to have to show me he is better than me," which shows what his mentality he is. In his young career to date, he's proving that the Lebron quote wasn't just nonsense, he's showing that he is the real deal. Mathurin comes in to tonights contest averaging 20.8 points, 5 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 45 percent shooting from the field, 38 percent shooting from deep and 82 percent shooting from the charity stripe....OFF THE BENCH. He has been a force for Indiana this season. Washington's bench is formidable in their own right, averaging 37.8 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the field. They're deep and consistent, however, they will have to contain the Pacers fearless rookie or things will get interesting quickly.