Pacers vs Suns

The Phoenix Suns have amassed a serious collection of talent that makes them a title favorite, but they have to wait for this super-team to get healthy.

The under is 4-1 in those last five games for Indiana and that’s my best play in this game. Here are the odds for the Suns and Pacers in Indiana. Josh Okogie had 25 points off the bench and Deandre Ayton had 23, but it wasn’t enough.

The Indiana Pacers (25-31) are back home to begin a busy portion of the schedule when they host the Phoenix Suns (30-27) for their annual visit to Indy.

Warren - out (not with team) The Pacers moved none of their depth, so they should be in good shape even if Devin Booker, who has just played in one game since late December, is available to play. Of course, the Suns were without Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton...so, yeah. Which brings us right back to why the Pacers are favored in this one. This will be the first of five games in seven days which includes four home games at the Fieldhouse for the Pacers. The timing of this matchup makes for some interesting circumstances.

Game two of the new-look Phoenix Suns will send the team to take on the Indiana Pacers in a Friday night NBA matchup at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana has averaged 114.6 points per game, which is 13th in the league. Indiana has averaged 7.9 steals per game, which is ninth in the league. As a team, Indiana has averaged just 42.0 rebounds per game, which ranks 23rd in the league. Jalen Smith, the third-year pro, ranks second with 5.7 rebounds and is averaging 9.5 points per game. Rookie Bennedict Mathurin is fourth with 17.1 points per game, with the majority of his appearances coming off the bench. Myles Turner leads the team with 8.1 rebounds, averaging 17.7 points per game. Phoenix’s defense has been solid, ranking sixth with 111.4 points allowed per game. Phoenix’s offense has slowed a bit, falling to 21st with 112.6 points per game. DeAndre Ayton will eventually become the third option, but leads the team with 10.3 rebounds per game and ranks second with 18.5 points per game. While Durant will not play in this one, the combination of Booker and Durant will give opponents fits. Booker leads the team with 26.8 points on 47.5 percent shooting, ranking second with 5.6 assists per game. Devin Booker had been in and out of the lineup all of December.

Starting center Deandre Ayton had 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting but also only had two rebounds. Durant is not yet available for the Suns since he is recovering ...

- Opponent 2-point percentage: Phoenix (No. - Opponent 3-point percentage: Phoenix (No. - Opponent shooting percentage: Phoenix (No. - Opponent points per game: Phoenix (No. - Turnovers per game: Phoenix (No. - Steals per game: Phoenix (No. - Blocks per game: Phoenix (No. - 2-point percentage: Phoenix (No. - 3-point percentage: Phoenix (No. - Rebounds per game: Phoenix (No. - Assists per game: Phoenix (No. - Points per game: Phoenix (No.

Phoenix sent Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, along with future draft picks, to Brooklyn in exchange for 10-time All-NBA honoree and former Most Valuable Player ...

The defeat was the Pacers' second straight and 13th in their last 15 games. Bridges scored 22 points for the Suns in that contest, and Deandre Ayton sat with a sprained ankle. Paul finished with 15 points and eight assists in Thursday's loss. "They paid the guy the ultimate respect, putting their best defender on him. ...They understand the business side of it, but they also understand that there's a human side, an emotional side, a connection that is greater than the business side." The Suns suffered their first defeat of the road trip on Thursday, 116-107 to Atlanta.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers never led after the opening minutes and fell 117-104 to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

He played 14 minutes in the first half alone and led the Pacers with 12 points on 4 of 9 shooting. In the second half, he added 10 points on 3 of 6 shooting to finish with 22 points. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said it was a coach's decision and he simply thought other players were performing well so he stuck with them. The Suns won the rebounding battle 53-38 and grabbed 19 offensive rebounds to the Pacers 11. Turner cracked 20 points in six of his previous eight games, but on Friday, Turner made just 2 of his 9 field goals for seven points and grabbed a modest 5 rebounds. The Suns don't have Durant ready to play yet as he's nursing an MCL sprain and most players aren't ready to go this quickly after a trade anyway.

The Phoenix Suns came out with a different level of energy and execution in a win on Friday against the Indiana Pacers.

He ended up at a team-high 22 points, plus 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Booker is someone who is in absolute tip-top shape in-season, so it’s not surprising that his extended time out is going to take him a few games to get completely right. Josh Okogie started with Torrey Craig at the forward positions and had his second straight great game. It says something about how Indiana played on Friday but also how focused of an effort it was from the Suns. Yes, Devin Booker coming back after sitting a game for injury management helped. While the Suns were still missing all three players it acquired at the trade deadline — Kevin Durant, T.J.