Game-time calls on key Pacers made prior to Carlisle's pursuit of win No. 1,000

The Indiana Pacers listed guard Andrew Nembhard and Tony Bradley as questionable for their matinee vs. the Wizards.

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was listed as questionable for his team's clash vs. Washington but has been cleared to play. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The teams with the two lowest winning percentages in the Eastern Conference meet on Sunday afternoon, where the expectation is that Rick Carlisle will become the 11th NBA head coach to record 1,000 regular-season wins. Getting that landmark victory should come easier with point guard Andrew Nembhard and center Tony Bradley cleared to play.

In his second stint with Indiana, Carlisle is dealing with a ton of attrition on the heels of taking the Pacers to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000. He’s fighting an uphill battle due to the injury report you’ll see below, but Indy finally won consecutive games to end November and is looking to overcome a 1-13 start, having prevailed in four of their last seven.

The Wizards will look to avoid becoming Carlisle’s 1,000th victim while adding to the smallest win total in the NBA this season. Washington has won once on the road all season, defeating Dallas on Oct. 24 in its second game. It opened the month with a 129-126 upset of Milwaukee but has dropped four straight.

INJURY REPORT

WIZARDS

Alex Sarr: Out - Right Adductor Strain

Bilal Coulibaly: Out - Right Oblique Strain

Khris Middleton: Out - Right Knee Contusion

Corey Kispert: Out - Right Thumb Fracture

Malaki Branham: Out - Right Thumb Sprain

Sharife Cooper: Out - G League (Two-way)

AJ Johnson: Out - G League (On assignment)

PACERS 

Andrew Nembhard: Available - Left Calf Soreness

Tony Bradley: Available - Left Quad Strain

Moritz Wagner: Out - Left Knee injury recovery

Tyrese Haliburton: Out - Right Achilles Tendon tear

Aaron Nesmith: Out - Left Knee MCL Sprain

Obi Toppin: Out - Right Foot Stress Fracture

Ben Sheppard: Out - Left Calf Strain

Kam Jones: Doubtful - G League (On assignment)

Vitals - How to Watch Wizards at Pacers

Game date, time and location: Sunday, Dec. 14, 3:10 p.m. EST, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Indiana (Pacers), Monumental Sports Network (Wizards)

Radio: 1070 The Fan (Pacers), 106.7 The Fan (Wizards)

Pacers look to bounce back after seeing modest win streak snapped

The Indiana Pacers (6-19) and Washington Wizards (3-20) square off for the second time inside three weeks. The teams were paired in East Group A in the NBA Cup, where the Wizards were Indiana’s only victim and Toronto ran up a 4-0 record to advance. The Pacers beat Washington 119-86 to improve to 3-16 on Nov. 28 behind 24 points and 11 rebounds from Pascal Siakam.

This will be the final time these teams get together at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season, but they’ll square off on consecutive nights in D.C. on Feb. 19-20 coming out of the All-Star break. 

Indiana has won six consecutive meetings between these teams and is 7-1 over the last eight matchups dating back to the start of the 2023-24 season. The Pacers own a 112-27 series lead in this series that dates back to Indy’s arrival from the ABA in 1976.

Betting Lines (via DraftKings) 

Spread: Pacers -9.5 (-110), Wizards +9.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Pacers -410, Wizards +320

Total: 223.5 (Over -115, Under -105)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

PROJECTED STARTERS

WIZARDS

F Kyshawn George

F Justin Champagnie

C Marvin Bagley Jr.

G Bub Carrington

G CJ McCollum

PACERS

F Bennedict Mathurin

F Pascal Siakam

C Jay Huff

G Andrew Nembhard

G Ethan Thompson

QUOTABLE

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on not getting the benefit of the whistle multiple times down the stretch in Philadelphia on Friday: "Can I say that we could’ve gotten a few calls without being fined $40,000? There were a couple of calls that I thought we could’ve gotten. I’m gonna fight for our guys. Our guys have been up against it all year, fighting hard, crunch time game, every play is meaningful."