Riding a four-game win streak, the Phoenix Suns (23-18, 8th in Western Conference) host the Indiana Pacers (24-18, 7th in Eastern Conference) tonight for their first matchup this season. This contest marks the second game in the Pascal Siakam era for Indiana, who will be without Tyrese Haliburton. The Suns have won nine of their last 12 games overall, while the Pacers have lost three of their last four after falling 118-115 to the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night. This same night, Phoenix dominated on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans with a 123-109 victory behind a season-high 52 points from Devin Booker.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Local Game Information
Start Time: 6:00 p.m. MST
Location:Â Footprint Center
TV Channel: 3TV/AZ Family
Radio:Â Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream:Â Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 21, 2024
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -5.5
O/U:Â 247.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Jordan Goodwin (right ankle sprain) AVAILABLE | Bol Bol (right foot soreness) OUT |Â Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton (left hamstring strain injury management) OUT | Andrew Nembhard (thoracic spine sprain) AVAILABLE | Isaiah Jackson (concussion) OUT
Starters
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Indiana Pacers:Â T.J. McConnell, Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Can they play at Pacers’ pace?
- Limiting turnovers
- Not allowing big runs
- Guarding the 3-point line
- Ride momentum of win streak
Prediction
Suns 133 – Pacers 125
Even without Tyrese Haliburton, is going to be a very offensive game, and the Suns need to limit their turnovers to avoid run outs by Indiana. It will be interesting to see how Pascal Siakam plays for the Pacers in only his second game, but if the Suns keep up their strong recent play and come out aggressive, they should have no problem with Indiana. The biggest question will be how their defense fares against the No. 1 offense in the NBA and if Phoenix can sustain an up-tempo game for 48 minutes.
Last Time Out
Devin Booker went absolutely off against the New Orleans Pelicans (25-18) Friday night, scoring 52 points to help the Phoenix Suns (23-18) cruise to a 123-109 road victory, their fourth straight win. While Booker might have been killing it on the offensive end, the entire Suns’ team stepped up defensively. Kevin Durant, who finished with 26 points of his own, led the charge once again on the defensive side, totaling two steals and two blocks. New Orleans, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, only connected on 10-of-42 shots from deep, a staggering 23.8%. Jusuf Nurkić proved how well he could fit in next to the Big 3, ending with five points, 16 rebounds, nine assists and was a team-high +30 in terms of plus/minus. Bradley Beal had 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
In the debut of Pascal Siakam, the Indiana Pacers (24-18) were upset by the Portland Trail Blazers (12-29) 118-115 Friday night on the second game of a back-to-back for the Pacerss. Siakam had 21 in his debut. After missing five games due to injury, Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and 17 assists. As much as Indiana tries to scratch and claw back into the game, the Blazers had a response and led pretty much the whole way, the most by 13 points. Myles Turned led Indiana with 29 points and 12 rebounds.
Flashback: Last Meeting (Feb. 10, 2023)
Team Matchup Notes
Here are some stats, notes and everything else to know about the Suns and Pacers before their first matchup of the season (via Suns):
Each team’s stats (via Suns):
Preview: Team injury reports
Bol Bol out, Tyrese Haliburton questionable for tomorrow’s Pacers vs. Suns matchup
Preview: Key stories from win over Pelicans
Frank Vogel says Suns had best defensive performance all season from start to finish vs. Pelicans
Don’t overlook Jusuf Nurkić’s performance against the Pelicans
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
