NBA Play-In Tournament: Free NBA Picks Today for Thursday, May 20th, 2021

NBA Play-In Tournament: Free NBA Picks Today for Thursday, May 20th, 2021
Thu 20th May 2021

The Wizards host the Pacers with a spot in the playoffs on the line! Our free NBA picks have analysed every aspect of the elimination Play-In game to provide you with the best analysis and predictions for tonight’s clash.

Can Washington beat Indiana for the fourth time this season or can the Pacers carry momentum from Tuesday night’s hot shooting into this clash? Our NBA picks have all of the information and answers you need before placing your bets on tonights game.

Indiana Pacers @ Washington Wizards – 8pm EDT

The Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers face off for the third time in two and a half weeks, this time with everything on the line. The winner of this clash gets the eighth seed and goes on to face the Sixers in the opening round, the loser starts their vacation earlier than they would have liked. 

Despite a demoralising 118-100 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday, the Wizards have to come into this one with some confidence. They beat the Pacers in all three matchups during the regular season and get back on their home floor, where they were 19-17 compared to 15-21 on the road. 

Bradley Beal’s hamstring injury was obviously a big question heading into the Boston game and it seemed to have hampered him throughout. After averaging 31.3 points per game on 48.5% shooting during the regular season, Beal managed just 22 points and shot 10/25 from the field to get there. He wasn’t the only one with a poor shooting night as Russell Westbrook had only 20 points on 33.3% shooting. What was even more alarming about Westbrook’s performance was the fact that he didn’t have an assist after half time. 

Washington shot a dismal 3/21 from deep during the game, with Beal and Westbrook combining for just 1/10 between them. Indiana on the other hand shot the lights out, connecting on 16 threes from 35 attempts, an impressive 45.7%. The Pacers took advantage of a terrible Charlotte defense to erupt for 144 points, thanks to their three point shooting and overall shooting from the field, managing 55.2% with the starters shooting 63% between them.

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While they lost Caris LeVert just hours before tip off, both Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon, who were listed as questionable, suited up and played great. Sabonis, while struggling from the field and scoring just 14 points, had a good all around game with 21 rebounds and nine assists. Brogdon on the other hand, who had missed the last 10 games of the regular season, came back to drop 16 points and eight assists in his limited game time. 

When looking at the three regular season games, Washington averaged a massive 140 points per game and even played without Bradley Beal in one of those. In the two that he did play, Beal averaged a massive 38 points while Westbrook, across all three games, put up 27 points, 20 assists and 18 rebounds per contest. The surprise for the Wizards was Rui Hachimura, who averaged 22 points per game in their three games, well up from his 13.2 season average.

Indiana played the most recent two games without Malcolm Brogdon, who is obviously a massive boost for the side when he is there. However, Caris LeVert averaged 34 points per game in the two that Brogdon missed and that is a massive hole to fill. Domantas Sabonis was as consistent as usual throughout the three games, averaging 32 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, with none of the Wizard’s front court able to slow him down. 

Their poor shooting may have cost them against Boston, but Washington made no more than 10 three pointers in a game against Indiana but still scored at least 132 points in the three games. That shows that they don’t rely on the three to put massive scores on the board, and they definitely can’t do any worse than their performance on Tuesday. Indiana played the game of their lives in order to survive, but Washington’s defense is better than the one that they faced two nights ago and there is more on the line for the Wizards tonight. 

NBA Pick – Washington Wizards (-156)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel

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Tim is a keen follower of all American sports, in particular the NBA and NFL. He has followed both sports for over a decade and would happily sit down and watch every game, regardless of who is playing! No matter the sport, whether it be NFL and NBA or even MLB, NHL, UFC and all sports, Tim covers it from every angle, staying in the loop to bring you the most up-to-date information and the best picks and predictions on the market.