The Indiana Pacers (22-19) and the Phoenix Suns (13-29) will face off in their last matchup of the season Tuesday night at 9:00 PM EST.
Injury Report
Indiana: Rodney Stuckey is out, Ian Mahinmi is questionable with his heel injury, and George Hill is questionable with his personal reasons.
Phoenix: Eric Bledsoe (knee) and Ronnie Price (foot) are both out, while Alex Len (hand) is expected to return on Tuesday.
Last Meeting Between These Two
The Pacers and Suns just played on January 12th, exactly a week from Tuesday. Indiana would wind up winning 116-97 on their home court, as Paul George led the way with 21 points and seven rebounds. The game was close all throughout until the fourth quarter hit. The Pacers were only up four points entering the fourth. The Pacers started off the fourth with a 9-2 run and never looked back.
George Hill had 20 points and five assists, while C.J. Miles had 19 points and eight rebounds. The leading scorers for the Suns were Mirza Teletovic and Devin Booker, each scoring 19 points apiece.
Recent Play for the Pacers
The Pacers have lost three games in a row to the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets. The Pacers have been playing awful basketball lately. There has been no defense, little ball movement, and lots of failure to close out games.
Indiana was in a close one with Boston on the road and completely gave the game away. Turning the ball over four times in the final minutes. The Wizards just came out defeated the Pacers with ease, winning by 14 points. The Nuggets game was an embarrassing loss. The Pacers were up by 15 at halftime and let the Nuggets come all the way back. The Nuggets scored 45 points in the fourth quarter and complete their comeback.
Despite the loss to the Nuggets, the rookies shined and showed why the Pacers drafted them. Myles Turner had 25 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks on 11-of-13 shooting in 29 minutes. Joe Young, who is playing due to the Rodney Stuckey injury, ended with 15 points and seven assists, both of which are career highs for the rookie guard. Seeing the young guys play well was very encouraging.
Projected Starting Lineups
Pacers:
Point Guard: George Hill
Shooting Guard: Monta Ellis
Small Forward: Paul George
Power Forward: Lavoy Allen
Center: Jordan Hill
Suns:
Point Guard: Brandon Knight
Shooting Guard: Devin Booker
Small Forward: PJ Tucker
Power Forward: Markieff Morris
Center: Tyson Chandler
Final Thoughts
This is a good bounce back game for the Pacers, playing against a weak Phoenix team that isn’t playing very well and a team that they just defeated last week. Hopefully the boys in blue and gold can get the win.