Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards Preview (10/28/22): Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds

The Washinton Wizards will host the Indiana Pacers in an Eastern Conference battle. Below, I go over my prediction for the game, the probable starting lineups, current odds, and all updated injury information for both teams!

Indiana Pacers Vs. Washington Wizards Betting Odds

The Indiana Pacers are six-point road dogs against the 3-1 Washington Wizards. Both of these teams are relatively healthy teams; Indiana is without Daniel Theis, while Corey Kispert and Delon Wright are unavailable for the Wizards.

Indiana Pacers Vs. Washington Wizards Prediction

Washington is off to a hot 3-1 start with wins over the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers. While none of these are incredibly impressive wins, the Wizards have gotten the job done; their only loss was against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that could prove to be a contender in the Eastern Conference.

The Wizards have made a lot of changes to their roster in the past year; they traded for Monte Morris, Kristaps Porzingis, and Will Barton. It wasn’t long before they got the rights to Corey Kispert and Kyle Kuzma in a trade with Los Angeles, too!

This new-look Wizards squad has looked solid, and they still haven’t even gotten the best of Bradley Beal yet, who is seeing his first regular-season action in several months. Unfortunately, backup guard Delon Wright will be out for several weeks, so Washington will have to lean on rookie Johnny Davis and Jordan Goodwin to cover his minutes in the meantime.

Meanwhile, Indiana is off to a great start, if its measurement for success is tanking. The Pacers are very much alive in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, as they have started 1-4. The only team with a worse start (in the Eastern Conference) to the 2022-23 regular season is the Orlando Magic!

Still, Indiana has a few players who can get hot on any night and plenty of talented players, including Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Chris Duarte, Buddy Hield, and rookie Benn Mathurin. Mathurin has looked incredibly impressive, averaging 21 points and five rebounds while coming off the bench for Indiana!

We have already seen these two teams clash this season, with Washington winning by seven points on the road. The Pacers rank 27th in defensive rating, while the Wizards rank sixth in the same statistic; there’s just too much of a talent differential right now. I’ll stick with Washington to cover the spread at home.

Betting Trends

• Indiana is 0-2 ATS on the road in 2022-23
• Washington is 1-0-1 ATS at home in 2022-23

Key Matchups

The key matchup in this game will be between young, budding star Tyrese Haliburton and Monte Morris. Morris and Haliburton are the starting points guards for each team and will significantly impact this matchup, for better or for worse. See which player I believe has a significant advantage below!

Tyrese Haliburton vs. Monte Morris

Morris started for the Denver Nuggets last season with Jamal Murray out, and an off-season trade brought him to Washington to be its lead guard. In Denver, Morris was somewhat responsible for the horrendous point-of-attack defense that it had last season.

The Nuggets ranked toward the bottom of the league in points allowed to opposing guards. Washington has had better luck thus far defending against guards, but Haliburton should be able to get wherever he wants against the Wizards.

Tyrese Haliburton has added another layer to his already impressive game: isolation scoring. Haliburton is averaging roughly 23 points, ten assists, and four rebounds through five games for the Pacers. Advantage: Haliburton.

Indiana Pacers Starting Lineup

PG: Tyrese Haliburton
SG: Buddy Hield
SF: Aaron Nesmith
PF: Jalen Smith
C: Myles Turner

Washington Wizards Starting Lineups

PG: Monte Morris
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Deni Avdija
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: Kristaps Porzingis

Key Injuries

Indiana Pacers Injuries: Daniel Theis (Out)

Washington Wizards Injuries: Corey Kispert (Out), Delon Wright (Out)