Wizards vs. Pacers Prediction and Odds: Washington's Division Lead is in Danger Against Indiana.

The Washington Wizards are clinging to a half-game lead in the Southeast Division over the Miami Heat and find themselves in a tough spot tonight to try and maintain their lead on the road against the Indiana Pacers. 

Washington will be playing the second game of a back-to-back after falling to the Raptors 102-90. Deni Avdija led the team with 16 points in the loss where they shot just 46.3 percent overall, and were beaten on the glass too for the second straight night.

Indiana is also struggling, and is currently mired in a four-game losing streak. The Pacers have already been beaten by the Wizards on opening night 135-134 and would like some revenge for letting that one slip away. Malcolm Brogdon leads the team in points and assists with 20.6 PPG and 6.1 APG respectively. Domantas Sabonis leads the team with 12.4 rebounds per game and is second in scoring. Those two will need to step up tonight if they want to hold their losing streak on their home court.

Here are the odds for this Monday night showdown, courtesy of WynnBET: 

Wizards vs. Pacers Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

• Wizards: +5.5 (-110)
• Pacerss: -5.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Wizardss: +185
• Pacerss: -220

Total: 

• 211.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Wizards vs. Pacers Prediction and Pick

The first place I look when a matchup included a team on a back-to-back is their ATS record on no rest. So far, the Wizards are 2-1-0 ATS on the second half of a back-to-back. This is a good sign for a team doing their best Cliffhanger impression clinging to their half-game lead. And clinging they are.

The Wizards lost their sixth game in their last 10 games and are falling off the pace of the Nets for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. As it stands now, the Wizards don’t jump out as a team that will continue to fight for the conference lead.

Despite their strong start, we are starting to see the real Wizards that are 20th in the NBA in scoring and 12th in scoring defense. Pretty average for a team that leads their division. That could change when they get Thomas Bryant and Rui Hachimura back, but that's not happening tonight. 

The Pacers, meanwhile, dropped their fourth straight and got smoked by the Heat without Bam Adebayo or Jimmy Butler. They struggled to defend the three and are now 7.5 games behind Chicago for the top spot in the Central Division. Indiana is better than this. 

The Pacers are 17th in the NBA in scoring offense and 10th in total rebounding. Their defense is 16th in terms of scoring. Nothing that jumps out of the page here but they do everything “good enough.” Unlike the Wizard who struggle a bit on offense. 

While the Wizards appear to be a better team in the face of things, I think there is less separating these teams than many think. Especially considering the Wizards are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games and 1-5 ATS in their last six games on the road. 

PICK: Indiana Pacers +5.5 (-110)