Utah @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 26, 2018 ) Indiana 121, Utah 88

Since opening the season 0-3, the Indiana Pacers have come on strong and they're doing most of their damage at home. The Pacers, who have won seven of their last eight in Indianapolis, aim to stay hot when they continue a four-game homestand against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

Indiana's only setback at Bankers Life Fieldhouse over the past month came against the Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks on the second night of a road-home back-to-back, and it showed no issues cruising to a 126-114 win over Memphis on Monday. "I thought we did a good job of executing, getting out and pushing the ball," coach Nate McMillan told reporters Monday. "We had 29 assists, so we had good ball movement." The Jazz lost to those same Bucks 122-118 on Monday to begin a five-game road trip. Utah boasts the fourth-best scoring defense in the NBA at 103.5 points allowed per game, but opponents are averaging over 111 over the past seven games and 121 over the last two.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), FS Indiana

ABOUT THE JAZZ (11-6): The defensive lapses in the last two outings have come with rim protector and two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert out with a sprained ankle, and Utah had no answer for MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (50 points) on Monday, although it took comfort in matching him with a balanced attack. "We pride ourselves on being a team that's going to play late (in the postseason)," guard Donovan Mitchell told reporters. "But we've got to grind and get to that point. We could have got them tonight, but Giannis got 50." Bojan Bogdanovic scored 24 points and Mitchell added 20 to lead the Jazz on the offensive end.

ABOUT THE PACERS (10-6): T.J. Warren scored 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting against the Grizzlies two nights after being held to a season-low two points in 28 minutes versus Orlando. "I just want to stay aggressive when I'm out there," Warren told reporters. "We have a lot of potential. We're clicking right now, so we just have to keep it up and get ready for the next one." Point guard Malcolm Brogdon had 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds in Monday's win after missing the previous three contests with a sore back.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Jazz C Tony Bradley is averaging 11 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots while making 10-of-12 shots as a fill-in starter for Gobert.

2. Pacers C Myles Turner recorded a season-high five blocked shots Monday and he is averaging 3.8 in four games since returning from an ankle injury.

3. Indiana swept both meetings last season by an average of 30 points.

PREDICTION: Pacers 109, Jazz 105