The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Indiana Pacers at Moda Center on Sunday.

The Pacers (12-10) were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA, but this team has come together nicely. The acquisition of Tyrese Haliburton at the end of last year was the biggest move this organization had made in years because he looks like an All-Star talent. The Pacers point guard is leading the NBA with over 10 assists per game, and he does that damage with very few turnovers. That looks even better with Myles Turner dominating the paint, posting career-high averages across the board. That has fans wondering why there's talk of Indiana trading Turner because he looks like one of the best centers in the NBA. If this team keeps winning, there's no chance they move him.

The Trail Blazers (12-11) got off to an amazing start this season, but it's been a struggle since then. They enter this matchup losing seven of their last nine games. That horrific run directly correlates with an injury to Damian Lillard (calf), and that's the exact same thing that happened last season. The good news is that he's expected to return for this game, and having his 30 points back in the lineup will obviously be a massive boost. Anfernee Simons has been unbelievable in his absence, averaging over 30 points per game since he went out. Simons also dropped a career-high 45 points in their most recent win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday, and he truly looks like a star in the making.

These teams split their two meetings last season, with the road team winning both matchups. With that said, Portland won 11 of their previous 14 games in this series.