March 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots against Milwaukee Bucks forward Ousmane Dieng (21) during the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Image Devin Booker is getting hot at the right time for the Phoenix Suns, who earned their third straight win against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday in Indianapolis.
With Booker leading the way, Phoenix has won five of its last six games to move into sixth place in the Western Conference standings and within one game of the Denver Nuggets.
The Suns are looking to keep their momentum going against Indiana, which has snapped a 10-game losing streak and owns the NBA’s worst record at 15-50.
The Suns began their season-high six-game road trip with a 129-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Booker scored 27 points and Jalen Green added 25 points for Phoenix, hitting a season-high 24 3-pointers.
Royce O’Neale hit a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points in the win. Phoenix also got a spark from Jordan Goodwin, who scored six points in 14 minutes after missing seven games with a left calf injury.
A year after finishing 10 games below .500 and missing the playoffs, the Suns are moving in the right direction under first-year coach Jordan Ott, who credits Booker with leading the team’s turnaround.
“He’s a guy who almost does the right thing, not only as a person but as a player,” Ott said. “Offensively, he’s going to move the ball. He wants his body to move and he always wants to make the right play. Defensively, he plays hard every night. When your best player does that, it sets the tone. … I think we have the right group led by the right superstar.”
Booker has scored 27 points or more in four straight games for a Phoenix team that earned praise from Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers before Tuesday’s game.
“(They) play hard. They play together,” Rivers said. “It’s amazing. If you look at their team last year and this year, no one expected them to be better this year, but they are. It’s really cool to watch them play.”
Phoenix is looking to snap a back-to-back win against Indiana after a 133-98 win at home on Nov. 13.
The Pacers ended 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 took a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter before taking a 42-27 lead in the fourth.
“Their bench was unbelievable for the last 15 minutes of the game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of the Kings. “So you’ve got to give them credit. Their shot-making, their aggressiveness, all of that was big time. We had some pretty good looks that didn’t go in. It was disappointing.”
Indiana forward Obi Toppin remains limited on minutes after missing 56 games with a stress fracture in his right foot. He had an encouraging performance Tuesday, scoring 17 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes.
Indiana played without starters TJ McConnell (right hamstring), Pascal Siakam (right knee sprain) and Andrew Nemhard (back/neck). It is unclear whether all three will play against the Suns.
The injury-plagued Pacers gave extended playing time to young reserves like Kam Jones, Kobe Brown, Micah Potter and Jarace Walker, who combined for 38 points on Tuesday.
“It’s a very good look at each of these people,” Carlisle said. “In almost all cases, people are promoted to a higher level of responsibility. They play more minutes than expected. The organization has a great opportunity to see what these people are made of. It’s a great opportunity to evaluate future decisions.”
–Field level media
