Pacers at Suns
The Indiana Pacers are fresh off their largest margin of victory this season and look to follow it up with another strong showing when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The Pacers lambasted the host Utah Jazz 121-88 on Monday and the 33-point whipping marked their fifth victory by 20 or more points this season.
Star guard Victor Oladipo (knee) will miss his fifth consecutive game but he wasn't needed against the Jazz as seven Indiana players scored a dozen or more points. "It was just a good, professional win by this group," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said during his postgame availability. "They were just about business from the start." The Suns are back home after a 1-3 road trip that included a surprise win over the Milwaukee Bucks before ending with a 118-107 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. "I think we competed," Phoenix coach Igor Kokoskov told reporters. "I can't say that effort wasn't there. The energy was there. We tried to keep that momentum going. I think we just ran out of gas."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, FS Arizona
ABOUT THE PACERS (12-8): Backup small forward Doug McDermott scored a season-best 21 points against Utah as he aims to put a lackluster start behind him. "They were headhunting me so I had to take advantage of that," McDermott said in a postgame interview in reference to his teammates looking to get him the ball. "We put in a couple new plays to get me moving a little more and I thought it really worked. Obviously, I was aggressive from the start and that is what I have to do every game." McMillan joked "we were looking for him" and he emphasized getting the ball to McDermott and forward Bojan Bogdanovic (eight straight games of 15 or more points) needs to become a priority.
ABOUT THE SUNS (4-15): Rookie center Deandre Ayton scored a season-best 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting against Detroit and is shooting a stellar 62.4 percent from the field. Ayton also collected 12 rebounds against Detroit for his second double-double in three games and 11th of the season. Star guard Devin Booker scored 37 against the Pistons while tallying 35 or more for the fourth this season and he is tied for 10th in the NBA with a 24.9 average.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers won both meetings last season and have prevailed in five of the past six matchups.
2. Indiana PG Darren Collison recorded a season-high 11 assists and matched a season best of four steals against the Jazz.
3. Phoenix F Richaun Holmes has scored in double digits in four straight games and is averaging 11.5 points while making 20-of-27 shots during the stretch.