Indiana @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 4, 2018 ) Indiana 98, Washington 95

The Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers both have their eyes on the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference and are trying to navigate through a packed field of contenders for that slot. The battle will take on a head-to-head feel when the Pacers, who currently occupy third and sit one game ahead of the Wizards in the standings, visit Washington on Saturday.

Indiana won six of its last eight games but comes in off a loss after falling 106-99 to the East-leading Toronto Raptors on Thursday. "It's just one loss," Pacers guard Victor Oladipo told reporters. "We've still got a lot of games left. It's not getting any easier, though. We have to pick it up. We have to do the little things. We have to help one another out there, so we have to get back to what we've been doing." The Wizards needed two overtimes to dispatch a Boston Celtics squad missing two All-Stars and five rotation players on Wednesday and avoided a three-game slide. "I give our guys credit," Washington coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "We fought back, made it a game and gave ourselves a chance to win by making big plays for one another. Our spirit was good throughout that last three quarters and overtime."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE PACERS (40-29): Seldom-used veteran center Al Jefferson stepped up off the bench on Thursday and nearly pulled his team to victory with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes. "Since guys have returned, everybody has to be ready to play," Indiana coach Nate McMillan told reporters. "Things happen, and Al has kept himself ready to play. He stepped in tonight, gave us some good minutes and he'll be ready for whatever we ask him to do going forward." The double-double was the first since Nov. 7, 2016, for Jefferson, who had seen a total of six minutes of action in the previous 10 games.

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (39-30): Washington dropped five of its last eight games, with all five losses coming against potential playoff teams, and is starting to feel a sense of urgency. "We need guys to play their minutes harder, that's it. You know what, it's time," Brooks told reporters. "It's time for guys to come off the bench and play better. It's time for our starters to have better starts, and it's also time for our team to play well together and not just have a first and second unit. It's a team, but they all have to do their part and it's all connected with one another." The Wizards will play four of their next five at home, with four of those five against teams with winning records.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Wizards C Ian Mahinmi is averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds in the last two games, up from season marks of 4.7 points and 4.1 boards.

2. Pacers Cs Domantas Sabonis (ankle) and Myles Turner (ankle) are both questionable for Saturday.

3. The road team won each of the first two meetings, with Indiana grabbing a 98-95 victory at Washington on March 4.

PREDICTION: Pacers 109, Wizards 103