The Phoenix Suns (22-24, 15-7 Home) welcome the Indiana Pacers (23-24, 8-15 Away), who will be out to snap their losing run, on Saturday. Indiana is playing on back-to-back days after getting dismantled by the Denver Nuggets 134-111 at Ball Arena yesterday, their sixth straight loss.
With 19 points, Bennedict Mathurin was the leading scorer in the losing effort. Chris Duarte was another standout performer with 18 points. The Pacers are ninth in the Eastern Conference.
Phoenix won on Thursday at Footprint Center, beating the Brooklyn Nets 117-112. Mikal Bridges had 28 points and nine assists to lead the team. The Suns are 11th in the Western Conference.
The teams are meeting for the first time this season. Phoenix won both matchups between the teams last season, the last of which was a 113-103 triumph at Footprint Center in January 2022. Bridges led the Suns with 23 points, while Chris Paul was a key contributor with 18 points and 16 assists.
Lance Stephenson and Chris Duarte had 17 points each in the loss. Tyrese Haliburton (20.2 ppg), Buddy Hield (17.4), and Mathurin (17.2) have led the Pacers in scoring this season. Haliburton also has dished 10.2 assists per game, most in the league.
Meanwhile, Myles Turner is grabbing 7.7 rebounds per game. Deandre Ayton (17.1 ppg) and Bridges (16.0) have been the primary providers of the Suns’ offense. Ayton also has collected 9.6 rebounds per game, while Bridges has distributed 3.5 assists per game.
The Pacers have had the advantage in recent trips to Footprint Center, winning seven of the last 10. Indiana has dropped six in a row on the road this season. Meanwhile, the Pacers are 6-2 this season when playing two days in a row and 4-1 in such games against rested opponents.
The Suns are 3-1 with a rest advantage. In the last 10 games, Indiana is 3-7 with an average margin of -6.3 (114.4-120.7). Phoenix has a 2-8 record over the last 10, allowing 112.9 points per game on average while scoring only 103.0 (-9.9 margin). The Suns are averaging 112.7 ppg for the full season while allowing 112.2.
PACERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
T.J. McConnell: 27.0 | 14.0 | +13.0
Points per game:
Buddy Hield: 10.6 | 17.4 | -6.8
Rebounds per game:
Jalen Smith: 4.3 | 5.9 | -1.7
Assists per game:
T.J. McConnell: 7.8 | 4.7 | +3.1
SUNS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Damion Lee: 26.2 | 14.3 | +11.9
Points per game:
Damion Lee: 17.6 | 9.3 | +8.3
Assists per game:
Mikal Bridges: 6.2 | 3.5 | +2.7
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Indiana Pacers (+140)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NBA hub page for all your basketball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
