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Game Preview: Pacers vs Suns

Matchup

The former Pacers reunion series continues on Saturday night when Indiana (5-7) hosts the Phoenix Suns (8-5) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After Lance Stephenson and the Charlotte Hornets visited on Wednesday night, the Suns' Miles Plumlee and Gerald Green make their second trip back to The Fieldhouse in a Phoenix uniform.

Both Plumlee and Green spent the 2012-13 season with the Blue-and-Gold, but were sent to Phoenix in July 2013 in a trade for Luis Scola. In their first season in the desert, both players enjoyed breakout seasons, helping make the Suns the surprise team of the NBA. Phoenix won 48 games, but still missed out on the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference.

Even though Paul George, George Hill, and David West have yet to play this season, the young and inexperienced Pacers have shown plenty of grit, and it's starting to pay dividends on the court. Indiana has now won four of its last five games, bouncing back nicely from a six-game losing streak. On Saturday, the Blue-and-Gold will try to do something last year's 56-win team couldn't: beat Phoenix.

The high-octane Suns offense gave the Pacers fits last season. In their first meeting in Arizona, Phoenix scored 62 first-half points en route to a 124-100 rout. Eight days later in Indiana, the Suns scored 66 points before halftime and held on for a 102-94 win.

The Suns are arguably more dangerous this year. They return most of their key cogs from last year, including skilled point guard Goran Dragic, the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2013-14, and his dynamic backcourt partner Eric Bledsoe. Over the summer, Phoenix signed point guard Isaiah Thomas, who averaged 20.3 points per game last season with Sacramento.

Thomas' addition gives Phoenix arguably the deepest backcourt in the NBA. Through 13 games, starters Dragic and Bledsoe are combining to average 28.7 points and 8.1 assists per game, while backups Thomas and Green are contributing another 28.9 points and 5.4 assists per contest.

Projected Starters

Donald Sloan

Donald Sloan

Solomon Hill

Solomon Hill

Chris Copeland

Chris Copeland

Luis Scola

Luis Scola

Roy Hibbert

Roy Hibbert

Goran Dragic

Goran Dragic

Eric Bledsoe

Eric Bledsoe

Marcus Morris

Marcus Morris

Markieff Morris

Markieff Morris

Miles Plumlee

Miles Plumlee

Pacers: PG - Donald Sloan, SG - Solomon Hill, SF - Chris Copeland, PF - Luis Scola, C - Roy Hibbert
Suns: PG - Goran Dragic, SG - Eric Bledsoe, SF - Marcus Morris, PF - Markieff Morris, C - Miles Plumlee

Injury Report

Pacers: Paul George - out (rehabilitation, fractured right tibia/fibula), George Hill - out (left knee contusion), C.J. Watson - out (bruised right foot), David West - out (sprained right ankle), C.J. Miles - out (sore right calf)
Suns: None

Last Meeting

January 30, 2014: The Suns handed the Pacers just their second home loss of the 2013-14 season, beating Indiana, 102-94. Phoenix scored 66 points in the first half to take a 17-point halftime lead, then held on for the win. The victory completed a Suns sweep of the home-and-home series between the two teams.

All five Pacers starters scored in double figures in the loss, led by 26 points from Roy Hibbert. Lance Stephenson (14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists) had his fourth triple-double of the season, but Indiana got just seven points from its bench.

Suns point guard Goran Dragic led all scorers with 28 points and seven assists. Gerald Green and Marcus Morris each added 16 points, while Markieff Morris had 15.

Noteworthy

  • The Suns have won three of the last four and seven of their last nine road games at Indiana dating back to the 2005-06 season. They have won six of the last eight and 15 of the last 17 games over the Pacers overall in the series.
  • Pacers center Roy Hibbert has 901 career blocks, three shy of Dale Davis for fourth most in franchise history.
  • The Suns' roster features two pairs of brothers — Goran and Zoran Dragic, Marcus and Markieff Morris. It is the first time in NBA history that two sets of brothers have played on the same team.

Broadcast Information

TV: FOX Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 107.5/1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Slick Leonard (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)