Indiana Pacers vs Phoenix Suns Preview (1/21/23): Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds

On Saturday night, Indiana hopes to break its six-game losing streak when it travels to face the equally-struggling Phoenix Suns.

Take a look below to see our in-depth analysis, predictions, and betting picks for this game, as well as the projected starting lineups, updated betting odds, and injury reports for both teams.

Indiana Pacers Vs. Phoenix Suns Betting Odds

The Pacers enter this matchup with Phoenix as 6.5-point road dogs. Indiana will be without its All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, as well as Daniel Theis and Kendall Brown.

Brown hasn’t cracked Indiana’s rotation, and Theis hasn’t played at all this year; Haliburton is the big loss for the next few games.

Meanwhile, Phoenix still has a lengthy injury report, with Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, Cam Payne, Jae Crowder, Josh Okogie, and Devin Booker all expected to miss this game.

Indiana Pacers Vs. Phoenix Suns Prediction

After an incredible start to the 2022-23 season, far surpassing all expectations, the Indiana Pacers have dropped six straight games. The obvious reason for this drop-off: missing Tyrese Haliburton.

Haliburton suffered a sprained left elbow and knee bruise, and the Pacers have lost every game since.

Haliburton is undoubtedly this team’s MVP and a surefire All-Star after averaging 20 points, ten assists, four rebounds, and two steals on 40% shooting from behind the arc; if he finishes the season with those numbers, he would be the first player to ever accomplish that.

Without Haliburton, the Pacers drop from being a top six or seven team in the Eastern Conference to being a bottom five team in the conference. There’s little doubt about that.

In the four games without Haliburton, Indiana has averaged just shy of 18 turnovers per game, shot roughly 32% from three, and been outscored by an average of 13 points.

Meanwhile, Phoenix was able to break from its recent slump by squeaking out a narrow home win against the Durant-less Brooklyn Nets.

Still, the Suns were up 20 points heading into the fourth quarter and nearly blew it after Kyrie Irving went nuclear.

While it is promising that they were able to grab a much-needed win, there are definitely questions raised about their ability to make plays for others and score in isolation when pressure is being applied.

Without Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, Devin Booker, Cam Payne, and Josh Okogie, this Suns team is uber-thin in their backcourt.

Expect this to cause some issues against an Indiana team that has plenty of guards outside Haliburton that can score and distribute. Phoenix should win, but the Pacers will keep it close.

Betting Trends

• Indiana is 11-11 ATS on the road in 2022-23
• Phoenix is 12-10 ATS at home in 2022-23
• The combined over record of these two teams is 44-46-2 in 2022-23

Key Matchups

Myles Turner, one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA, and Deandre Ayton, one of the most efficient big men, make up our key matchup of the game. Check out which big I project to play better below!

Myles Turner vs. Deandre Ayton

It seems that Deandre Ayton has been stuck between 16-18 points per game and 10 and 11 rebounds per game for essentially his whole career in the NBA thus far.

That is in no way a slight, but it seems that Phoenix has a very particular role for him, and branching out much farther than that is not really an option.

As a matter of fact, even without Devin Booker on the floor, the Suns’ primary scorer, Ayton has still posted 18 points and ten rebounds.

With Ayton’s efficiency from the floor as a mid-range shooter and maestro in the pick-and-roll as a roller, it is confusing to see his usage so limited.

Regardless, in most games, you know what you are going to get from Ayton, whether it is his fault or not.

On the other hand, Myles Turner has really stepped up recently, averaging 24 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in his past six games, not including his 19-minute outing against the Thunder, which was a beatdown from the beginning.

Still, he posted six blocks in that game, an outrageous number considering he played just over half of his usual minutes.

Again, excluding the Thunder game, Turner posted 30 points and 29 points in his two previous games; he should have the ball in his hands a lot in this matchup with Haliburton out.

Between his defensive advantage and offensive upside, Turner has the edge. Advantage: Turner.

Indiana Pacers Starting Lineup

PG: Andrew Nembhard
SG: Buddy Hield
SF: Benn Mathurin
PF: Aaron Nesmith
C: Myles Turner

Phoenix Suns Starting Lineups

PG: Damion Lee
SG: Mikal Bridges
SF: Torrey Craig
PF: Dario Saric
C: Deandre Ayton

Key Injuries

Indiana Pacers Injuries: Tyrese Haliburton (Out), Kendall Brown (Out), Daniel Theis (Out)

Phoenix Suns Injuries: Devin Booker (Out), Landry Shamet (Out), Chris Paul (Out), Cam Payne (Out), Jae Crowder (Out), Josh Okogie (Out)