Pacers hoping things click at struggling Washington

The Indiana Pacers will look to snap a two-game skid when they visit the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

The Pacers (32-17) have lost 106-103 at Memphis and 132-100 to visiting Golden State since Victor Oladipo went out for the season with a torn quadriceps tendon last Wednesday.

"Right now we're finding ourselves," Thaddeus Young told the Indianapolis Star. "The vibe is just off right now."

The Pacers are 7-6 overall this season without Oladipo and facing Golden State was a tall order with or without him as the Warriors won their 11th straight game.

Now the Pacers begin a four-game road trip consisting of winnable games at Washington, Orlando, Miami and New Orleans as they try to remain within striking distance of Milwaukee and Toronto in the Eastern Conference.

"I think we need some toughness," Darren Collison told the team's website. "What better way to start than on this road trip? Sometimes you can tend to feel sorry for yourself, and that makes the situation worse. Or, you can do something about it. Being on the road in a hostile environment playing against teams that have something to play for, I think this can be good for us."

The Pacers may also be without guard Tyreke Evans for the road trip. Evans missed the game against the Warriors on Monday night due to lower back soreness and didn't participate in Tuesday's practice.

That means Edmond Sumner, who was playing in the Developmental League last week, could be in the starting lineup again for Wednesday's game at Washington.

Sumner, 23, was just 1-for-10 against the Warriors but has impressed the veteran Collison, who has gone head-to-head against Sumner during the preseason and regular season in practice.

"In this league, athleticism drives. Being young drives. Hungry. He has all three," Collison said. "He's hungry for the opportunity. I think people are going to be really impressed with what he can do."

One team who won't be feeling sorry for the banged-up Pacers is the Wizards (21-29), who have been playing without John Wall, Dwight Howard and Markieff Morris, and will be playing the second of back-to-backs.

The Wizards trailed the Cavaliers by 25 points in the fourth quarter before their reserves sparked a furious rally that fell just short in a 116-113 loss Tuesday.

Washington cut the deficit to three points in the final minute and had a chance to tie when they inbounded with 10.8 seconds left but Cedi Osman knocked the ball away from Troy Brown as Brown was attempting a 3-pointer and the Cavs held on despite missing nine fourth quarter free throws

Bradley Beal had 31 points for Washington but was on the bench during the fourth-quarter rally. Reserve Jordan McCrae had 15 points -- including 5-of-5 shooting from the field -- and Trevor Ariza added 13 for the Wizards, who have lost two straight.

"You can't take any team for granted. Everybody is a pro. It doesn't matter if they're the best team, worst team, middle of the pack," Beal told reporters. "You got to respect everybody in the league and we didn't do that."

Wizards center Ian Mahinmi (sprained right thumb) and forward Sam Dekker (back spasms) returned against Cleveland after missing one game apiece.

The Pacers won the teams' first two meetings of the season, both at Indiana in December.

--Field Level Media