Jordan Ott was thrilled the Phoenix Suns “survived” their tough test against the Indiana Pacers, despite having to put in a “muddy” performance.

The Suns won their fifth straight game in the NBA after brushing aside the struggling Pacers 133-98, with last season’s Eastern Conference champions continuing to be ravaged by injury.

Devin Booker led the way for Phoenix with 33 points, including a run of 10 straight points in the third quarter, while Dillon Brooks added 32.

The Suns led by 20 early in the third quarter, only to be pegged back to 83-73 as the Pacers attempted a comeback, but a run of 16 straight points ultimately secured the win.

They were also helped by their bench, with Oso Ighodaro getting 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, and Ott was pleased with the adaptability he saw from his side.

“They [Indiana] went small there in the first half, just a bunch of different lineups,” he said.

“The NBA is so hard to win; every night’s a new challenge. You don’t know exactly how it’s going to go, and it never goes according to plan, so we have to find new ways to have success and find wins.

“This time, it was a little muddy, a little murky, little dirty, and we survived. Sometimes, some of our guys like that.

“I thought in the second quarter we really got after them, and I thought that showed a lot of grit, a lot of toughness, and then we were able to hang on.”

ANOTHER DUB IN THE CHAT! pic.twitter.com/cmc0U5zhaI

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 14, 2025

Indiana, meanwhile, have struggled to hit the heights of last season, when they reached the NBA Finals, and have a 1-11 record after this loss.

Andrew Nembhard had 21 points while Pascal Siakam added 19, but the biggest blow for Indiana was the loss of Aaron Nesmith to injury.

He was helped off the court by team staff members and could not return due to suffering from knee soreness after an awkward slip.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle remains optimistic about the seriousness of the injury and hopes he will not be sidelined for long.

“Hoping that Aaron’s situation is not very serious,” Carlisle said.

“At this point, it looks like we may have dodged a bullet — he may have dodged a bullet — in terms of something very serious. But he will miss some time.”