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Kam Jones Out
Bennedict Mathurin Out
Johnny Furphy Out
Quenton Jackson Out
Obi Toppin Out
Tyrese Haliburton Out
Mark Williams Questionable
Jalen Green Out
It’s been a tough start for the Pacers this year. They’ve struggled to find much success with half the team seemingly injured. Of course, the biggest loss is Haliburton, but we all knew he was gone for the year. The surprising ones have been Mathurin and Toppin, two guys they were relying on this year. Especially with the departure of Myles Turner, this roster is extremely thin on scorers. Pascal Siakam is about the only player putting up decent numbers at an efficient rate. This roster just can’t succeed with so much turmoil. Sitting dead last in the NBA in shooting percentage, it’s not looking good. The defense isn’t much better, with the team allowing 121 points per game on average. That’s fourth to last in the league. It’s a classic tale of no shooting and no defense equals no wins, which is why they’re sitting at 1-10 so far.
The Suns have quite a bit better. After a slow start, they have exploded, going 6-1 over their last seven games. It’s been a nice turnaround for a team that looked like they could be in trouble. However, getting Brooks back from injury and Allen taking on more scoring responsibilities has helped tremendously. Pair that with Williams playing more consistent minutes anchoring the defense, and the star power of Booker, and things are looking up. Of course, we have a lot of season left, and the West is tough, but Phoenix has to feel good coming into this one. As long as the defense maintains its intensity and Booker keeps up his scoring pace, they should be in a good position tonight.
This most likely isn’t going to be much of a matchup, but the sportsbooks expect it to be close. They’re only giving the Suns a 4.5-point spread at home, which feels odd. Which makes me think this could be a trap game, but still, it’s hard to go against the Suns. Their scoring efficiency has been miles ahead of Indiana. While their defense is middle of the pack in the league so far. This just isn’t a game Phoenix should lose. That’s why I’m going with the Phoenix moneyline, the over on the 232.5 points total, and the Phoenix spread at -4.5.
Money line: IND (+154) / PHO (-1850
Total Points: 232.5
Spread: +4.5 IND (-112) / -4.5 PHO (-108)
Booker has been torching guys this year, but over the last couple of games, we’ve seen the scoring tone down. That's probably because of a couple blowouts and Grayson Allen upping his scoring, but tonight should be different. The Pacers have been one of the worst teams in the league this year with a lot of injuries. With the roster so incapacitated at the moment, Booker should be able to do whatever he wants tonight. I’d expect he’ll significantly increase his scoring volume.
With Williams' status uncertain tonight, Brooks could see a big increase in his rebounding responsibilities. He’s never been much of a boards guy, only averaging around 3 his entire career, but tonight, with less competition against the worst shooting team in the league, he should grab a few more.
In such a situation down here, the Pacers have looked for anything offensively. Siakam has filled the void in most games, but no one else has stepped up alongside him. As a result, Pascal’s scoring has exploded early this year. He is averaging 24 points a game with several games over 30 this season. Facing the Suns, whose front court situation looks a little shaky coming into this game, should leave the middle open for Siakam.
Nembhard has done well filling in for Haliburton while he is out. However, with so many scorers on the roster also down, it’s become hard to find efficient shots. Pair that with the team shooting last in the league from the field at 40%, and getting the ball through the hoop has been a challenge. I don’t expect Nembhard to have a season high in assists tonight with the Suns playing this well recently.