On Saturday, March 13, the Suns will be looking for their sixth win in a row when they host the Pacers for NBA betting action at Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The game tips at 10:00 p.m. ET, when Indiana will be desperately trying to turn its season around.
Will Phoenix stay hot with yet another home victory? Continue reading our Pacers vs. Suns free picks and predictions.
Indiana Pacers at Phoenix Suns betting preview
Injuries
Pacers: F T.J. Warren (Out).
Suns: F Cam Johnson (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 6-1 in Indiana’s last seven road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Pacers vs. Suns.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonFanDuel opened Phoenix as a 6.5-point favorite Friday afternoon and spent today bouncing between -7 and -7.5, where the line rests at 7 p.m. ET. Point-spread ticket count is running 3/1 and money 4/1 on the Suns. The total opened at 221 and is now out to 225.5, with 67 percent of bets/72 percent of money on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Pacers are expecting the debut of Caris LeVert in this game, which is absolutely huge for their team — and just exciting for LeVert, in general. When LeVert was traded as part of the James Harden deal, Indiana’s team doctors found a cancerous mass in his kidney. LeVert had that mass removed, and he is now healthy, which is an unbelievable story. Had he not been traded, it’s fair to wonder whether or not that mass would have been found before things took a turn for the worse.
On the floor, LeVert is an unbelievable offensive player, and whatever minutes he can give the Pacers will help. Indiana had struggled heading into the All-Star break, and a good performance against Los Angeles last night isn’t enough to suggest this team is back on track. LeVert likely will be on a minutes restriction here, though. That could somewhat taper his production, and he also has to deal with Phoenix's Mikal Bridges on the wing. Bridges is one of the best perimeter defenders in the game, and he’ll likely spend some time guarding LeVert. That would make for an unpleasant return. LeVert should be an awesome fit in Indiana, but it might take some time — and this isn’t a great matchup.
The good news for Indiana is that Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis should be able to do their things in this one. Chris Paul is a good defender still, but Brogdon has a lot of size over him, and he knows how to use it. Meanwhile, Sabonis’ unique offensive game should give the Suns’ interior defense some trouble here.
Even if the Pacers don’t win this outright, they should be able to hang around. And having LeVert back will likely give them some extra energy.
PREDICTION: Pacers +7.0 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Before a low-scoring game against the Lakers last night, the Over had hit in four of the Pacers’ previous five games heading into the All-Star break, and the team now gets an offensive boost with LeVert entering the mix. Indiana should have a ton of juice on the offensive end in this one, and there’s a good chance that Sabonis has a strong game here.
Deandre Ayton is a decent defensive player, but he tends to take nights off, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising if this matchup frustrates him. The Pacers run a lot of offense through Sabonis, which means this game will require the interior’s full attention. And Indiana will likely do whatever it can to get Ayton switched onto the perimeter, too. Ayton struggles to guard in space, and that would make this more of a game where Phoenix has to rely on its scoring.
Normally, the Suns’ stifling defense, combined with offensive efficiency, is what wins them games. But they can win shootouts, which they have shown time and time again.
PREDICTION: Over 221.0 (-110)
Player prop pick
If the Pacers are going to compete in this game, they’re going to need to shut down the Suns backcourt, and that could mean some extra opportunities for Bridges, who is coming off an 18-point performance against the Blazers. Bridges tends to be a hot-and-cold player, so he should come into this one with some confidence, and it wouldn’t be all that shocking if he knocked down a couple of triples.
Once Bridges makes a few jumpers, that really opens up his game, and it could lead to a couple of easy ones at the rim or in the mid-range area. Overall, this just seems like a game where he should show up.
PREDICTION: Mikal Bridges Over 12.5 Points (-131)
Pacers vs Suns betting card
- Pacers +7.0 (-110)
- Over 221.0 (-110)
- Mikal Bridges Over 12.5 Points (-131)
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