Suns Rule Out 2 Starters vs Pacers

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Phoenix Suns will be down two key players against the Indiana Pacers at home Thursday.

The Suns ruled out starting center Mark Williams (right knee return from injury management) and will continue to be without Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), who is scheduled to be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks.

This will be the second time this season where Williams is out for the second game of a back-to-back as the Suns are following a plan to try to keep him healthy.

Phoenix has been on fire going into tonight's matchup, winning four games in a row and six of their last seven even while dealing with Green's injury.

The Suns (7-5) have caught some good fortune during their win streak with every team so far missing a star player.

That trend will continue tonight against the Pacers, who are without Tyrese Haliburton this season after he tore his Achilles in the NBA Finals last season.

Haliburton is far from the only key Pacers player out tonight, as Bennedict Mathurin (right great toe sprain), Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture), Quenton Jackson (right hamstring strain), Johnny Furphy (left ankle sprain) and Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction) are also listed as out.

Pacers guard T.J. McConnell made his season debut in a loss Tuesday to the Utah Jazz after missing the first 10 games with a left hamstring strain and is not on the injury report.

Suns Being Cautious With Mark Williams

The Suns are still trying to ease Williams into the year and are being extra cautious with him given his extensive injury history that has led to him not playing more than 44 games in any of his first three seasons.

Phoenix's approach with Williams seems to be working, as he has not had any injuries so far this year.

Williams being out will likely lead to increased opportunities for Nick Richards and Oso Ighodaro, while rookie center Khaman Maluach could also get some run.

Pacers Struggling After NBA Finals Appearance

Indiana has not been able to find itself without Haliburton coming off its appearance in the 2025 NBA Finals.

The Pacers are just 1-10 on the season and have a -12.3 point differential through the first 11 games. They have lost their last three games by an average of 24 points.

Pascal Siakam leads the Pacers averaging 24.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists, but they have the worst team field goal percentage by far in the NBA at 40.2%, which is over 3% lower than any other team.

The same offensive pace and rhythm that led the Pacers to the Finals has not been prevalent at all this season, and their injuries have not helped.

The Suns cannot take them lightly, however, as they are historically a team that will fight until the final buzzer, just as the Mavericks did last night despite coming into the game with the lowest 3-point percentage in the league.

Tonight's game tips off at 7:00 p.m. MST.

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