Suns continue playoff climb vs. lowly Pacers
Devin Booker is heating up at the right time for the Phoenix Suns, who have won three straight heading into Thursday's matchup against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
With Booker leading the way, Phoenix has won five of its last six to move within one game of the Denver Nuggets for sixth place in the Western Conference standings.
The Suns look to carry the momentum into their meeting against Indiana, which has lost 10 straight and owns the NBA's worst record at 15-50.
The Suns opened a season-long-tying six-game trip with a 129-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Booker scored 27 points and Jalen Green added 25 for Phoenix, which made a season-high 24 3-pointers.
Royce O'Neale matched his career-high with seven 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 21 points in the win. Phoenix also received a spark from Jordan Goodwin, who scored six points in 14 minutes after missing seven games with a left calf strain.
One year after finishing 10 games under .500 and missing the playoffs, the Suns are trending in the right direction under first-year coach Jordan Ott, who credits Booker for spearheading the team's turnaround.
"He's just about the right things not only as a human, but as a player," Ott said. "Offensively, he'll move the ball. He wants bodies to move, always wants to make the right play. Defensively, he plays hard every night. When your top guy does that, it sets the tone. ... I think we have the right group led by our right superstar."
Booker has scored 27 or more points in four straight games for a Phoenix team that drew praise from Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers before Tuesday's game.
"(They) play hard. They play together," Rivers said. "It's amazing. You look at their team last year and this year, I don't think anyone predicted them to be better this year, but they are. It's just really cool to watch them play."
Phoenix is seeking a series sweep of Indiana after winning 133-98 at home on Nov. 13.
The Pacers concluded their four-game West Coast trip with a 114-109 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. Aaron Nesmith scored 29 points to lead Indiana, which led by 20 midway through the third quarter before being outscored 42-27 in the fourth.
"Their bench just played unbelievable the last 15 minutes of the game, just tremendous," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of the Kings. "So you've got to give them credit. Their shotmaking, their aggression, all that was big time. We had some pretty good looks that didn't go in. That was disappointing."
Indiana forward Obi Toppin remains on a minutes restriction after missing 56 games with a right foot stress fracture. He had an encouraging outing on Tuesday with 17 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes.
Indiana played without starters T.J. McConnell (right hamstring), Pascal Siakam (right knee sprain) and Andrew Nembhard (back/neck). All three are uncertain to face the Suns.
The injury-plagued Pacers have given extended playing time to young reserves such as Kam Jones, Kobe Brown, Micah Potter and Jarace Walker, who combined for 38 points on Tuesday.
"This has been a great look at each of these guys," Carlisle said. "In almost all cases, people are rising to higher levels of responsibility. Playing more minutes than they probably would have. The organization has had a great chance to see what these guys are all about. A great opportunity to evaluate for future decisions."