Phoenix Suns vs Indiana Pacers Prediction: Two sliding teams

The NBA midseason is on and what a great window we have ahead of us with the trade deadline in its footsteps. The rumor mill is churning and we can expect big news soon as the deadline is less than three weeks away. There are teams that need to address their woes urgently and fix the roster. One of those squads, the Phoenix Suns is going to take on the Indiana Pacers.

The Suns enter the game after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 117:112 to arrest a three-game slide. Mikal Bridges scooped up 28 points and 9 assists. The Suns have only registered 22 wins and 24 losses. And I say only 22 wins because last season they won 64 and lost just 18 losses. The Suns have struggled mostly because they are missing their top-scorer Devin Booker who helped them win 18 of 29 games and without him, they have 13 losses and just four wins. Chris Paul has been injured too, sharpshooter Cam Johnson has missed more than 80% of the games and Cameron Payne has been missing too so the Suns have to rely too much upon their supporting players Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton.

The Pacers come into this game after losing 111:134 against the Denver Nuggets despite a 19 points performance by Benedict Mathurin. They are currently on a six-game losing streak which has brought them to 24 losses and 23 wins after they had surprised everyone with a strong start. One common theme throughout the losses was that the team was missing their leading playmaker and scorer Tyrese Haliburton who has 20+ points and 10+ assists averages. The defense has been terrible for Indiana and they have leaked 126-134 points in the last four games. They have one of the most promising guard rotations with multiple playmakers and scorers but without Tyrese, they have switched off.

The Suns won the last game and they will face a vulnerable Pacers team so things can shift in their favor. The Pacers’ defense has been stranded lately and it seems to be getting only worse with each game. The lack of experience in the wing and big Forward positions has hurt the team whereas the Suns’ Guard depth has been abysmal. Chris Paul is once again listed as questionable by the Suns. Anyway, I favor the Suns here regardless of Paul’s availability. I predict a 118:108 scoreline.