Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards
Time: 8 PM ET, May 9, 2014
TV: ESPN
Spread: WAS -5
M/L: WAS -200; IND +170
Total: 184
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada
The Indiana Pacers evened the series 1-1 with an 86-82 victory over the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Pacers will now travel to Washington, where things may be a bit more difficult. NBA oddsmakers are listing the Wizards as 5-point favorites over the Pacers at Bovada.
Amazingly, Roy Hibbert showed up for game 2. After scoring just 29 points in seven games in the opening series against Atlanta, and subsequently having a scoreless game one, Hibbert exploded for 28 points and nine rebounds in his finest postseason game of his career.
Gilbert Arenas roasted Hibbert on Instagram and Twitter following Game one, and David West spoke with the 7’2” center prior to tipoff of game two. No one really knows what West said, but apparently the words struck a chord. Hibbert’s involvement in this series is crucial for the Pacers.
The Wizards bring a strong frontcourt rotation of Nene Hilario, Marcin Gortat and Drew Gooden. The Pacers need Hibbert at his best to counter that. Gortat had 21 points and 11 rebounds in game two, so Hibbert’s offensive production is crucial to match that of the Wizard’s 5-man.
John Wall will try to rebound after an abysmal game two. He connected on just 2-of-13 from the field en route to just six points. Trevor Ariza shot poorly as well, hitting just 2-of-8 from the field. The Wiz did a good job on the boards, with a plus-5 advantage over Indy.
Both teams kept their turnovers down, as Washington committed nine and the Pacers had seven. The Wiz will hope for a much better night shooting the ball on its homecourt, as the team connected on just 5-of-21 from behind the arc in game two.
BETTING TRENDS:
IND Trends: UNDER 3-0-1 in last 4 road games; UNDER 4-0 in last 4 games following ATS loss; 1-7 ATS in last 8 Friday games.
WAS Trends: 4-0 ATS in last 4 vs teams with winning percentage above .600; 4-0 ATS in last 4 vs teams with winning SU records; 10-1 ATS in last 11 games overall.
Head-to-head: UNDER 4-1 in last 5 meetings; Pacers 2-5 ATS in last 7 meetings.
