Suns' Major Key to Beating Pacers

What do the Phoenix Suns need to do to keep the momentum going?

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are just a half-game out of getting out of the play-in tournament, as a win tonight would put them in a tie with the Dallas Mavericks. 

While the Suns should have the upper hand tonight, the Indiana Pacers aren't an easy out by any fragment of the imagination. 

The Pacers are well-coached, have a historically good offense, and run ten-deep, much like the New Orleans Pelicans team that Phoenix faced on Friday night. 

Contrary to the Pelicans, the Pacers run a fast-paced offense that happens to also be ridiculously efficient. 

The key to the Suns extending their winning streak tonight? They simply must make the opponent adapt to them and not the other way around. 

The Suns beat the Pelicans because they swarmed the talented squad with volume when it mattered - Devin Booker and Kevin Durant both had their way. 

While Phoenix may have stronger top-shelf offensive talent compared to Indiana, the Pacers are almost certainly more well-rounded. 

That's not to say that Durant, Booker and company can't be trusted in a shootout - it's just a testament to how consistent Indiana has been on the offensive side of the ball. 

The Suns win tonight if they do these simple things:

Vogel must be adaptable once again - fully willing to do things such as utilizing the five-out lineup against a porous Pacers' defense. 

Durant should be the focal point of the defensive attack- Durant has played some of the best defense of his career over the last two weeks and has seemingly embraced being the Suns' enforcer. 

Lastly, the offense needs to run through Booker. Durant can get in a groove out of thin air and Beal is continuing to shape into form, but Booker is the hot hand who has clearly become more comfortable as the initiator since Beal's return - and it should remain that way tonight against a Pacers team with little to throw at the star guard.

The Suns should be sporting a 24-18 record by the end of the night if they accomplish the ultimate goal of trying to make Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle adapt to them.