Washington Wizards vs. Indiana Pacers Prediction: Can Bennedict Mathurin Make It Rain from 3?
Washington Wizards vs. Indiana Pacers Prediction: Can Bennedict Mathurin Make It Rain from 3?
The Washington Wizards travel to Indiana tonight to take on the Pacers. The Wizards have been struggling this season, as they come into this game with a record of 6–30. They are 2-8 over their last ten games and they meet Pacers team that is hot. The Pacers are 7–3 over their last ten games and they are 21–15 on the season. They are coming off a massive win against the Boston Celtics, a game they won even with Tyrese Haliburton going down in the first half. what should we expect in tonight’s matchup without Tyrese Haliburton?
Wizards vs. Pacers Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date:Â January 10, 2024
- Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch:Â NBA League Pass
Washington Wizards vs. Indiana Pacers Prediction
Tyrese Haliburton is sidelined for the time being with a left hamstring strain that he suffered against the Celtics last game. This is a big loss for the Pacers, as Haliburton led the team with 23.6 points per game, and easily led the team with a very high 12.5 assists per game, which also leads the entire NBA. With Haliburton missing some time, other players will get a chance to step up, including second-year shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin. Bennedict Mathurin is a 6‘5 shooting guard out of Arizona and is in his second year with the Pacers. Mathurin has been playing well this year and is shooting well from deep, which is where I am targeting him in this game. Last week we backed Mathurin on his three-pointers made against the Atlanta Hawks, and he cashed in for us, and I believe he can do it again tonight, especially without Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton led the team with 8.4 three-pointers attempted per game, so without him, other guys will have a chance to shoot more. Buddy Hield is the next highest volume shooter from deep for the Pacers, but I like Mathurin in this matchup because of his increased playing time and increased shooting percentages. Mathurin is up to 28.6 minutes per game, which is up from 25 minutes per game in December and 24 minutes per game in November. Also, his shooting is getting better from deep, as he is shooting 43.5% from three to start January, after shooting 42% from three in December and 33% from three in November. When Haliburton went out in the first half against the Celtics, Mathurin instantly got more three-point attempts. He ended with nine three-point attempts, which was his highest mark of the entire season, and he made five of them, which was also his most made threes in a game this season. I do not think that this is a coincidence, and we should expect him to shoot a lot in this game.
Lastly, this will be the highest-paced game on the NBA slate tonight. The Pacers rank first overall in pace of play in the NBA, but the wizards rank second in place pay behind the Pacers. The total for this game is the highest on the board tonight, given that both teams played an extremely fast pace, and neither team plays very good defense.
Both teams are bottom five in defensive rating, with the Wizards coming in dead last at 30th, and the Pacers not far behind at 26th. with these two teams running up and down the floor all night and getting a lot of shot attempts up, I like Mathurin to hit two-plus threes in this game. This is something he has done many times this season and in four of his last six games overall. He is shooting the best from three that he has all season to start January, and I like him to stay hot in this game.
Washington Wizards vs. Indiana Pacers Pick
Pick: Bennedict Mathurin Over 1.5 3's -106 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.