Say what you want about their record or the flimsiness of their front office this year, but the Indiana Pacers have guts. Last night they knocked off the Golden State Warriors without all five typical starters, and tonight they plan to aim high once again, traveling to the desert to face our NBA-leading Phoenix Suns.
For being in opposite conferences, these two teams know each other quite well. The Suns played the Pacers on the road just eight days ago, winning by a 112-94 score.
That win came as the second in a streak of victories for Phoenix that currently sits at five. Tonight’s matchup offers the Suns perhaps their easiest chance to extend it further, with four of their next five matchups coming against playoff projected teams.
Phoenix Suns vs Indiana Pacers Odds, Moneyline, Prediction
According to WynnBET, the Suns come into this game favored at a -11.0 point spread. Their moneyline odds are -700, and the game’s over/under currently sits at 219.5 points.
The Suns already hold an 18-game advantage over the Pacers in the overall standings. Needless to say, these odds calling for an easy Phoenix win make sense. Deandre Ayton being out for this game did drop these numbers a bit, but regardless, the Valley Boys still get this nod from Vegas as they deserve to.
The over/under does look a bit undersized though. With the Suns still wielding an uber efficient offense and the Pacers averaging 120+ points per game over their last three contests, the game’s score might run high, especially with towering defender Myles Turner already ruled out.
Phoenix Suns vs Indiana Pacers Lineups
Ayton’s injury continues to follow this surging Suns team like a dark cloud, not leading to any losses yet, but a bummer nonetheless. The team revealed almost nothing after ankle tweak first occurred and have remained vague in speaking on it over the past few days as well. So with the injury saga for him continuing, expect the same starting five as last time out.
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowders
C: Deandre Ayton
The Pacers come into this one certain to play with their typical starters unable to play again. Phoenix will get a good look at rookie phenom Chris Duarte as a result.
- PG: Keifer Sykes
- SG: Chris Duarte
- SF: Justin Holiday
- PF: Torrey Craig
- C: Goga Bitadze
Phoenix Suns vs Indiana Pacers Prediction
The lowly Pacers taking down the Western Conference’s two biggest dogs one after the other would be quite the story, but nonetheless remains quite unlikely.
The Suns shoot better than the Pacers from the field, beyond the arc, and at the charity stripe. They also play defense and rebound at a higher level. No matter how hard you look, you cannot find anything that might call for an Indiana upset on the road.
Phoenix wins this one handsomely, covering their spread without much resistance.
Final: Phoenix Suns 117, Indiana Pacer 95
Phoenix Suns Up Next
After this one, the Suns play back-to-back contests vs the Utah Jazz, the first at home and the second on the road. Those two games open up the season series between these longtime rivals.
Although everyone is behind Phoenix right now, the Jazz sit closer to them than most, trailing in the West by six games. However, the Valley Boys have handled them will in the past, winning every game against Utah since 2019.