Barely 24 hours after suffering a crippling loss in their quest of at least reaching the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, the Washington Wizards become the first team to play a back-to-back in the NBA bubble when they take on the Indiana Pacers on Monday afternoon near Orlando.

The Wizards (24-42) found themselves chasing Orlando (31-35) and Brooklyn (31-35) in the battle for the seventh and eighth spots entering the eight-game restart. But playing without John Wall, Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans, Washington lost its opener to the team with the worst record among remaining teams in the West -- Phoenix -- before falling short a second straight time when beaten 118-110 by the Nets in a critical showdown on Sunday afternoon.

The losses have left Washington seven games back of both Orlando and Brooklyn, needing to get within four of at least one of them to earn a shot at the play-in tournament.