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Pacers cling to slim playoff hopes

Apr 14, 2008 - 3:07 PM Indiana (35-45) at Washington (42-38) 7:00 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- The Indiana Pacers hope to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive on Monday when they face the Washington Wizards.

Indiana (35-45) was pushed to the brink of elimination with a 107-103 defeat to the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday.

The defeat kept the Pacers two games behind Atlanta (37-43) in the battle for the final playoff spot in the East with two to play.

To make the postseason for the 10th time in 11 years, Indiana needs to win its remaining two games and the Hawks must drop their final two. The Pacers do own the tiebreaker advantage.

After Monday's game, Indiana host the New York Knicks on Wednesday to close the season. Atlanta has a home game vs. Orlando on Tuesday before concluding its regular season at Miami on Wednesday.

The Pacers wasted a golden opportunity - after the Hawks lost to Boston earlier in the evening - to trim their deficit on Saturday. Danny Granger scored a career-high 37 points in the defeat.

Indiana has lost three of its last four meetings with Washington.

Even without Caron Butler, the Wizards cruised to a 109-93 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday. Antawn Jamison had 25 points and 13 rebounds while Gilbert Arenas added 20 - the most he has scored in the five games he has played since returning from a 66-game absence due to a knee injury.