Rising Pacers face West leader

The Indiana Pacers have been a team on the rise. Earlier in the season I noted how if the Pacers ever got healthy they'd be a danger to the top-tier contenders. Well now they've been healthy and have an 11-game win streak to show for it. Included in that streak are wins against Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Oklahoma City.

The LA Clippers are the next test for Indy. Unfortunately the matchup is marred somewhat by injury, which is something that's held LA back. Through 43 games the Clippers were 38-5, easily the best in the West. But they've lost three of their last five games and are now uncomfortably close to allowing OKC to challenge for the top spot down the stretch.

Injury Report
Pacers: Wayne Ellington (Rest), Gordon Hayward (Foot), Malik Fitts (Waived in NBA)
Clippers: Amir Coffey (Illness), OG Anunoby (Knee), Jaylen Brown (Wrist), Victor Oladipo (Knee), Rodions Kurucs (Waived in NBA)

The big names are mostly on LA's side with Jaylen Brown, Victor Oladipo and OG Anunoby, but the Pacers are also down a star in Gordon Hayward. Still, the injury balance sits in Indiana's favor this time around.

Predicted Starters
(LA vs IND)

Point Guard
Kemba Walker vs Luka Doncic

This is a heck of a matchup. Doncic hold the edge in overall starpower, but Walker is a consistent scoring machine. Walker's also stepped up in some of LA's biggest games with a season-high 42 to help down the 76ers and 36 points to help his side top Brooklyn. Doncic is also capable of big-time points. He's got eight 40-point games (including to 50-point ones), but he's also an assist machine at 11.8 per game. And like Walker, Doncic will perform in the biggest moment. In two games against the 76ers, Doncic had a game 29 points, 20 assists and eight rebounds while in the other he scored 42, handed out 16 assists and grabbed 8 boards.

Shooting Guard
Jayson Tatum vs CJ McCollum

As if Walker vs Doncic wasn't enough, we have two absolute powerhouse matchups. This one features two of the top scorers in the league. Tatum is fourth at 30.4 points per game. McCollum doesn't qualify for the leaderboard (he's only played 19 games) but would top all scorers with his absurd 37.5 points per game. 

Small Forward
Kevin Huerter vs Robert Covington

Probably the least exciting positional matchup but both are solid role players. Huerter is a knockdown shooter making 48 percent of his 4.2 threes per game. Covington, as always, is an inside-outside defensive force and he's making 45 percent of his threes, solidifying his 3-and-D impact.

Power Forward
John Collins vs Jalen Smith

Smith is notably outclassed in this matchup by the veteran Collins and this will be a key to the game. If Smith can hold off Collins it'll maximize the efforts of his star companions. If Collins is able to do whatever he wants, it could give LA an edge by giving them easy baskets.

Center
Clint Capela vs Serge Ibaka

A clash in styles somewhat as Capela is a pure rim-runner while Ibaka is more of a stretch five. Ibaka does have above-average rim-protecting skills, but he's simply outclassed in the paint by Capela. Ibaka will need to bring his A-game in the paint while also forcing Capela out of his comfort zone and giving space to the Pacers players inside.

Bench
Were the Clippers healthy, they'd have a solid advantage in bench play. As it stands, both sides matchup fairly equally in terms of strengths on the bench. The Pacers have Dwight Powell and PJ Tucker while the Clippers have Enes Kanter and Marc Gasol. Most of the guards and wings these two sides bring in are merely stop-gaps until the stars get enough rest to come back in.

Prediction
The Pacers are on too much of a roll and the Clippers are a bit too banged up for me to bet against Indiana. It could wind up being a blowout if one of Indy's guys goes off and the LA stars stumble, but a great game could be in store.