Last Updated: Dec. 1 at 3:00 p.m.
Matchup
The Pacers (7-10) and the Suns (10-8) will meet for the second time in 10 days on Tuesday night in Phoenix. It will be Indiana's second of four consecutive road games and the first stop in a three-game Western Conference tour.
The Suns won convincingly in the last meeting between these two teams on Nov. 22 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers shot a season-low .369 from the field in a 106-83 loss in which the Suns scored 63 bench points and made 12 3-pointers, both figures the most allowed by a Pacers opponent so far this season. To make matters worse, the Blue-and-Gold lost both Roy Hibbert (sprained ankle) and Rodney Stuckey (sprained wrist) to injury during that game.
However, fortunes have changed for both squads since their last meeting. Stuckey returned to the lineup the next game and has averaged 16.8 points per game. Indiana has also regained the services of David West, C.J. Watson, and C.J. Miles, all of whom sat out the teams' first meeting with various injuries. Hibbert has not played since spraining his ankle, but should make a poetic return in Phoenix after fully participating in Monday's practice.
Meanwhile, the Suns enter Tuesday's contest coming off a pair of disappointing losses. Phoenix was blown out by 25 points on Friday night in Denver, then were upset at home by Orlando on Sunday (the same Magic team that the Pacers beat by 15 two nights earlier). Point guard Isaiah Thomas, who scored 16 points off the bench in the Suns' win in Indy, has missed three straight games with a bruised ankle and is listed as questionable for Tuesday.
Still, the Suns have plenty of firepower, including former Pacers guard Gerald Green. Green is averaging 14.4 points per game off the bench and has scored in double figures in seven straight contests. In three games against the Blue-and-Gold since being traded to Phoenix, Green has averaged 20.7 points, shooting .465 from the field and .588 from 3-point range.
Projected Starters
Donald Sloan
Rodney Stuckey
Solomon Hill
David West
Roy Hibbert
Goran Dragic
Eric Bledsoe
Marcus Morris
Markieff Morris
Miles Plumlee
Pacers: PG - Donald Sloan, SG - Rodney Stuckey, SF - Solomon Hill, PF - David West, 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), Roy Hibbert - probable (sprained left ankle)
Suns: Isaiah Thomas - questionable (right ankle contusion)
You Can Quote Me On That
"We've got to find a way to get some wins. We've got a tough stretch of the schedule coming up that we're in the midst of, going out West right now and then some tough ones when we come back home. So we can't be pleased with our effort. We've got to get wins." -Frank Vogel
"This is probably more difficult of a challenge than playing with five guys out for two weeks. Everybody's in a different level of their rhythm and conditioning. And there's different combinations out there that haven't spent a lot of time producing that chemistry. David and Roy haven't played together since the preseason. It's going to be a challenge, but these guys are pros and they've been playing with each other for quite some time." -Vogel on integrating players back into the lineup after injuries
"They're a team that likes to play early in the shot clock, get up and down the floor. If we can just have our defense set and have them play a lot of the game in front of us, I feel like we've got a great chance." -Pacers point guard Donald Sloan on the matchup with the Suns
"Each game is different. Obviously when we played them a week ago, it didn't go the way we wanted it to. But this game's going to be different and we're definitely going over there to get a win." -Pacers center Ian Mahinmi on playing Phoenix again
Last Meeting
November 22, 2014: Phoenix's bench combined for 63 points in a 106-83 win over the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Former Pacers guard Gerald Green scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the first half to lead five Suns in double figures.
The Pacers shot a season-low 37 percent and committed 14 turnovers in the loss. Rodney Stuckey led Indiana with 14 points and six rebounds. Solomon Hill added 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Ian Mahinmi (12 points and 10 rebounds) recorded his first double-double in a Pacers uniform.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers have lost three of their last four and seven of their last nine games in Phoenix. The Suns have won seven of the last nine and 16 of the last 18 games against Indiana overall.
- In addition to Green, Phoenix's roster also features former Pacers center Miles Plumlee. Indiana drafted Plumlee out of Duke with the 26th pick in 2012. Plumlee spent one season with the Blue-and-Gold before being traded to Phoenix with Green in exchange for Luis Scola.
- Pacers center Roy Hibbert has 902 career blocks, two behind Dale Davis for fourth place 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), Pat Boylan (studio host)