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Pacers vs. Wizards Play-In Game Odds, Daily Fantasy Tips and Live Stream
May 20, 2021
The three regular-season meetings between the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards averaged 272 points.
On May 3, the two Eastern Conference play-in game foes combined to score 295 points in a 154-141 Washington victory.
The high totals from those matchups should have daily fantasy players and over bettors salivating at the prospect of a fourth high-scoring contest.
Indiana comes into Thursday's matchup off a 144-point performance against the Charlotte Hornets in which it knocked down 16 three-pointers.
Sixty-one three-point shots were made in the three Indiana-Washington games, and there was only one occurrence in which a team produced fewer than nine makes from downtown.
In addition to the potential for a high three-point game, Russell Westbrook and Domantas Sabonis will be on triple-double watch.
Since it will be hard to use Westbrook and Sabonis in a single lineup without punting at a position, you may have to build your lineup with one star and a handful of shooters.
Pacers at Wizards Odds
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Spread: Washington (-3.5)
Over/Under: 239
Money Line: Washington (-156; bet $156 to win $100); Indiana (+132; bet $100 to win $132)
Game Information
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Live Stream: TNTdrama.com or TNT app
Daily Fantasy Tips
Take Domantas Sabonis Over Russell Westbrook
Westbrook recorded a pair of triple-doubles in his two May meetings with the Pacers, while Sabonis was one assist shy on May 3 from replicating that.
Neither player notched a triple-double on Tuesday. Sabonis was the closer one of the two with nine assists.
Sabonis had 14 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists versus Charlotte. Sabonis was 7-of-15 from the field on Tuesday, but the majority of his points came in the second half. He should have a high shot volume again on Thursday since Caris LeVert is out due to health and safety protocols.
The potential for the Indiana big man to score at a high clip could give him the slight edge over Westbrook as the top DFS lineup anchor.
Sabonis will likely earn more rebounds than Westbrook because of his presence around the glass on every possession, and he has put up comparable numbers in the assist column lately.
Sabonis recorded at least eight assists in all but one of his last 10 regular-season games. He had 13 or more rebounds on eight occasions.
Westbrook has not eclipsed the 25-point mark in the last three Wizards games. Part of the dip is caused by Bradley Beal's return.
Sabonis faced a similar situation with Malcolm Brogdon coming back, but there is potential for both to hit over 20 points on a nightly basis because they play different positions.
Some of the shots Westbrook took in Beal's absence will not be there with his teammate shooting at a high volume.
With that in mind, Sabonis could be the slightly better choice over Westbrook, and that decision would save you a bit of salary. Westbrook carries a $16,000 salary in FanDuel contests, and Sabonis sits at $15,000.
Add As Many 3-Point Shooters As Possible
The high volume of three-point makes in the three previous Pacers-Wizards games should lead you to Doug McDermott and the other long-shot specialists.
McDermott will be one of the most popular secondary pieces in DFS lineups because of his offensive explosion against Charlotte. He knocked down four triples in the first quarter.
McDermott did not hit another three for the rest of the game, but he did finish with 21 points.
At $10,000, McDermott has a manageable salary to work with Westbrook, Sabonis or Beal. You would still have enough to add some quality behind him in lineups.
Davis Bertans could be the cheaper and less popular three-point shooter added to rosters. Although he missed all seven three-pointers on Tuesday, Bertans hit multiple threes in each of his final eight regular-season games.
Adding Bertans to a five-man lineup allows you to have a bit more flexibility and it opens up a possible scenario to use Sabonis and Westbrook without giving up too much production elsewhere.
Eleven players have a higher salary than Bertans, and if you roster him, he could join some combination of Westbrook, Sabonis and two players at $10,000.
Other players could be considered for their three-point output, but McDermott and Bertans are the safest bets on their respective rosters.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.
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