The Indiana Pacers end the Washington Wizards’ NBA playoff hopes

Washington swept the Indiana Pacers during the regular season and they are favored against the Pacers yet again, but if Bradley Beal is not 100% for this game, the Wizards are going to struggle offensively, much like they did against the Celtics on Tuesday night. 

Beal finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in this game, but he shot 10-25 from the field and was visibly bothered by his lingering hamstring injury all game long, as he kept grabbing at the back of his leg and stretching during timeouts. 

READ MORE: NBA Rumors: Exec thinks Pacers will try to trade Malcolm Brogdon in offseason

Russell Westbrook is going to do his thing and have another godly game against the Pacers, especially after struggling to get going against Boston, but as the narrative has been all season long, it is hard to count on anybody else on this Wizards’ roster! Raul Neto, Rui Hachimura and Davis Bertans combined for just 12 points on 5-15 shooting from the floor against the Celtics. 

Ish Smith and Daniel Gafford were bright spots for the Wizards, as they went for 17 points and 12 points respectively, but without a healthy Bradley Beal, who is a threat to go for 30+, maybe even 40+ points on any given night, the Wizards will not have the necessary production they will need to beat the Pacers. 

Indiana looked like one of the best teams in the NBA Tuesday night against the Charlotte Hornets and while they will have to travel to Washington D.C. for this “winner takes all” game against the Wizards, their whole team looks locked in and hard to pick against right now. Even without Caris LeVert and having a banged up Malcolm Brogdon, the Pacers still have a much better supporting cast than the Wizards, which is why they will claim the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference.