PHOENIX SUNS VS. INDIANA PACERS – ODDS & PREDICTIONS FOR JANUARY 26, 2024

Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Latest Basketball News. One of the games on tap from tonight’s slate of games features the Phoenix Suns (26-18 SU, 16-26-2 ATS) taking on the Indiana Pacers (25-21 SU, 25-18-3 ATS).

Here is a look at which team has the edge going into this matchup and why.

 

Tipoff

• When: Friday, January 26, 2024
  
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
  
• Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
  
• Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
  
• TV: BSIN and AZ Family

Phoenix Suns vs. Indiana Pacers Odds (Via DraftKings) 

Phoenix Suns vs. Indiana Pacers – Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Suns Extend Their Win Streak To Eight Games?

Phoenix Suns Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 116.5 PPG – 13TH       
• Offensive Efficiency: 118.3 points per 100 possessions – 10TH         
• Scoring Defense: 114.0 PPG – 15TH       
• Defensive Efficiency: 115.8 points per 100 possessions – 16TH   

The Suns have climbed to the fifth spot in the conference playoff race out west. They have produced eight wins in their last 10 outings. Not only that, but they also come into this matchup on a seven-game winning streak. 

In their recent outing, the Suns easily defeated the Dallas Mavericks by a 132-109 margin on Wednesday night. Devin Booker led the way with 46 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He shot an efficient 17-for-23 from the field while knocking down six of his 10 attempts from 3-point range. 

Bradley Beal added 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Grayson Allen contributed 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Emotions tend to run a bit high between these two teams, dating back to their seven-game playoff series two years ago – something that Booker discussed after the game. 

 “I just think when teams have a recent playoff series against each other, that just heightens the atmosphere and heightens everything,” Booker said, via ESPN. “The media does a good job of continuing it because they know it gets traction, which is good for the game, it’s good for viewership. I have no personal problem with anybody from Dallas, no fans or anything.”

The Suns will look to extend their winning streak against the Pacers – the second stop of a season-high seven-game road trip. 

Can The Short-Handed Pacers Eclipse The Suns?

Indiana Pacers Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 124.8 PPG – 1ST    
• Offensive Efficiency: 121.5 points per 100 possessions – 2ND       
• Scoring Defense: 122.9 PPG – 29TH        
• Defensive Efficiency: 119.6 points per 100 possessions – 26TH    

The Pacers currently occupy the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference, and they have split their last 10 outings. However, they did snap their three-game losing skid with an impressive 134-122 win over the Philadelphia 76ers – the team that owns the third-best record in the conference. 

Pascal Siakam paced the Pacers’ scoring attack with a triple-double that included 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. He shot 9-for-13 from the floor and converted seven of his 10 attempts at the charity stripe. 

It was the Pacers’ first win since acquiring Siakam via a trade with the Toronto Raptors. Rick Carlisle offered this assessment about his power forward’s performance. 

“We made it our kind of game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Siakam was obviously tremendous, the sixth triple-double of his career, his first, obviously, with the Pacers. When you have a power forward get a triple-double, it’s pretty special.”

In addition to Siakam’s first triple-double since joining the team, Myles Turner added 20 points and nine rebounds, while Andrew Nembhard chipped in with 19 points and eight assists. 

The odds of beating the Suns without Haliburton in the lineup do not look promising for the Pacers. But on the heels of a surprising win over the Sixers, you just never know. 

Now that we have set the table for this East vs. West matchup, let us take a glance at the all-important betting trends for both sides.

The Picks

The Spread

The Suns opened as a six-point favorite. At the time of this writing, the line has dipped to 4.5 points for the road team. 

Here is a look at how both teams have fared against the spread this season. 

• The Suns are 6-13-1 ATS in their last 20 games.
• Phoenix is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 home games against the Pacers.
• The Pacers are 4-2 ATS in the last six games they have played on a Friday.
• Indiana is 13-8-2 ATS at home while Phoenix is 9-9-1 against the spread as the road team.

Based on these trends, this could go in either direction. But given the fact that the Suns have reeled off seven straight victories, going with them to cover a small spread looks like the smart bet here.

Prediction: Phoenix Suns (-4.5)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 241 points. The line moved up to 243 points (via pre-game.com). Here is why going with the “UNDER” is the smart choice. 

• The total has gone UNDER five times in each of the Suns’ last five contests.
• The UNDER total has prevailed nine times in Phoenix’s last 12 matchups against Central Division opponents.
• In the Suns’ last seven January games, the UNDER total won six times.
• The total has gone UNDER seven times in the Pacers’ last nine games.The UNDER total has hit all five times in Indiana’s last five games against the Suns.
• In the Pacers’ last eight games against Western Conference opponents, the UNDER total prevailed seven times.
• The UNDER total cashed in eight times in Indiana’s last 11 January games.

Prediction: UNDER 243 points

Player Prop Bets

The player to watch for the road team is Devin Booker. He currently has -125 odds of scoring more than 28.5 points and -105 odds of scoring less than 28.5 points (Via DraftKings). Let us see how his numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup. 

• In 15 career games against Indiana, he is averaging 19.1 points per game. 
• On the season, Booker is averaging 27.2 points per outing. 

• In 15 road games, he is averaging 28.8 PPG.
• Booker has played against Eastern Conference teams 10 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 24.3 points per outing.
• In a pair of matchups against Central Division teams this season, Booker is averaging 21 PPG.
• During the month of January, he is averaging 27.5 points per outing, exceeding the projected points total for this matchup five times during that stretch. 

Given the above trends, going with the “UNDER” for Booker is the best option.

Prediction: Devin Booker UNDER 28.5 points

The key player to watch for the home team is Pascal Siakam. He currently has -120 odds of scoring more than 20.5 points and -110 odds of finishing with less than 20.5 points. Here is a closer look at how his numbers compare to the projected points total for this matchup. 

• During the season, Siakam is averaging 21.9 points per outing. 
• In 21 home games, he is averaging 22.2 PPG.
• Siakam has played against Western Conference teams 15 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 19.7 points per outing.
• He has played against Pacific Division teams five times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 19.2 PPG.
• In January – a sample size of 11 games — Siakam is averaging 21.9 points per game, exceeding the points total for this matchup six times during that stretch.

Going with the “OVER” for Siakam is the smart play here based on the above trends.

Prediction: Pascal Siakam UNDER 20.5 points

James’s Phoenix Suns vs. Indiana Pacers Picks

• The Spread: Phoenix Suns (-4.5)
• Over/Under: Under 243 points
• Player Prop Bet #1: Devin Booker UNDER 28.5 points
• Player Prop Bet #2: Pascal Siakam OVER 20.5 points