NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Pistons, Pacers wrap up home-and-home set

(Sports Network) - The Detroit Pistons will try to remain hot this month when they close out a home-and-home series this evening against the Central Division-rival Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Detroit has won seven straight games and improved to 13-2 in December with Friday's 114-101 victory over Indiana at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Richard Hamilton scored 23 points and dished out nine assists to lead the way.

Chauncey Billups had 14 points and six assists, while Tayshaun Prince added 15 points for Detroit. Rasheed Wallace had 10 points and five rebounds, as the Pistons will now try to work on their 10-5 road record tonight.

On the injury front for the Pistons, guard Lindsey Hunter missed Friday's game against Indiana and is questionable for tonight.

Meanwhile, the Pacers have dropped two straight and three of their previous four games. In last night's loss in the Motor City, Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with 25 points and Troy Murphy finished with 12 points.

The Pistons have won three straight and six of the last eight matchups with the Pacers.

Detroit has won two of three and four of its last six games at Conseco Fieldhouse.


The Sports Network - National Basketball Association

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Detroit 98, Indiana 92



Tougher game, same result.

Following a comfortable victory over Indiana on Friday, the Pistons had to work harder against the Pacers on Saturday before extending their winning streak to eight with a 98-92 victory

"They came out tough, and we didn't play quite like we did (Friday)," said Pistons guard Richard Hamilton, who scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. "It was a really tough game all around."

Chauncey Billups had 17 points, reserve Jason Maxiell scored 12 and Rasheed Wallace finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds to help Detroit (23-7) complete the home-and-home sweep over the Pacers.

"It's not that odd to play a team back-to-back, you get that every once in a while in this league," Wallace said. "You still have to go out there and hoop."

Jermaine O'Neal, who led the Pacers (15-16) with 20 points and 11 rebounds, said playing Detroit two straight nights is a difficult task. The Pistons won 114-101 on Friday.

"That's probably the most difficult back-to-back you're going to see during the season," he said. "You don't get very many opportunities to take advantage of that team."

Trailing by six points entering the fourth quarter, the Pacers got within 86-85 following Danny Granger's 3-pointer with 5:43 left. After the teams traded baskets over the next few minutes, Detroit used a 6-0 run to open a 96-89 lead on Hamilton's 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining.

Mike Dunleavy's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 96-92, but the Pacers couldn't get any closer.

"They made a few more plays down the stretch, but we had our opportunities," said Granger, who finished with 15 points. "We put ourselves in position to win the game, which is what you always want to do."

Billups wasn't surprised by his team's ability to hang on at the end.

"We got everything we wanted in terms of plays down the stretch," he said. "We came together when it really counted."

In a first half that featured nine ties and six lead changes, the Pistons took a 44-40 advantage on Maxiell's two free throws. Indiana opened a 50-48 lead late in the second quarter, but Detroit scored the next four points and took a 52-51 edge into the break.

The Pistons began the third quarter with Antonio McDyess' jumper and Wallace's 3-pointer to go ahead by six. Indiana answered with an 11-2 run to take a 62-59 lead.

Detroit took its biggest advantage of the third quarter, 74-67, following Rodney Stuckey's 3-pointer with 1:32 left.

O'Neal didn't take any solace in keeping the game close.

"There's no such thing as having a moral victory," he said. "They just look at wins and losses in this league."

Notes

Pacers G Jamaal Tinsley (hamstring) and C David Harrison (sore back) did not play. ... Detroit has won four straight over the Pacers and 10 of the past 15 games. ... Detroit's last loss came Dec. 12 at Houston. ... The Pistons improved to 14-2 in December. ... The Pacers' losing streak is their longest since dropping six in a row from Nov. 7-16.

NBA - Detroit Pistons/Indiana Pacers Recap Saturday December 29, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Indiana (15-16) at Charlotte (10-18)

The Indiana Pacers look lost at times when Jamaal Tinsley isn't on the court to orchestrate their offense. They'll get plenty of time to learn to adjust to their starting point guard's absence.

With Tinsley expected to miss at least a week, the Pacers look to snap a three-game losing streak as they continue their season series with the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday.

Indiana will be without Tinsley -- sidelined with a hamstring injury -- for a second straight game as it tries to end its longest skid since dropping six in a row from Nov. 7-16. Tinsley is having perhaps his best season, averaging 13.8 points, 8.7 assists and 1.8 steals while managing one of the league's top offenses.

In a 98-92 loss to Detroit on Friday night, the Pacers (15-16) struggled to get good shots in the fourth quarter without their best distributor. Indiana managed just 41 points in the second half.

"We've got to learn from this and move on and get better," said Marquis Daniels, who is splitting time with Andre Owens at point guard in Tinsley's absence.

Daniels and Owens combined for 18 points versus the Pistons, but had just four assists while committing four turnovers as the Pacers were swept in a home-and-home series.

The Pacers were able to keep the game close with a second straight outstanding effort from Jermaine O'Neal, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds Friday after a 25-point game the previous day. The veteran forward is averaging 23.0 points and 9.8 rebounds in his last six games against the Bobcats (10-18).

O'Neal had 18 points and eight rebounds versus Charlotte on Nov. 9, but Indiana lost 96-87. That was perhaps the best game of the season for Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor, who finished with 25 points and 23 rebounds for his second career 20-20 game.

Okafor, however, is coming off a terrible offensive game, scoring only four points on 2-of-6 shooting in Charlotte's 104-95 loss to Orlando on Saturday night.

It was the 10th straight road loss and fourth straight defeat overall for the Bobcats. They will try to bounce back at home, where they are 9-8.

After a 99-85 loss to New Orleans on Friday night, Charlotte coach Sam Vincent made some changes to the starting lineup against the Magic and it led to a strong first quarter. He put point guard Jeff McInnis in the starting lineup and moved Raymond Felton to shooting guard, Jason Richardson to small forward, Gerald Wallace to power forward and had Okafor starting at center for Nazr Mohammed.

The move was made mainly to get McInnis on the floor early. He had just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, but helped set the tempo as the Bobcats led 29-28 after the first quarter.

"He just provides energy and spark on the floor and he's so vocal getting the guys and letting them know what we're in," Vincent said of McInnis.

Richardson, meanwhile, finished with a season-high 34 points while adding eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. After struggling for most of December, the veteran swingman is averaging 29.0 points while shooting 51.3 percent from the field during Charlotte's losing streak.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=9 height=18>Team Comparison</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody2 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="18%" height=18> Team</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="10%">Record</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="23%">Standings</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">PF</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="8%">PA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="3%"> </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="16%">Road/Home</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="8%">Streak</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">L10 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Indiana</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>15-16</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>2nd Central / 7th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>103.6</TD><TD class=yspscores>104.3</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Road 8-8</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 3</TD><TD class=yspscores>5-5 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Charlotte</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>10-18</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>4th Southeast / 13th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>93.1</TD><TD class=yspscores>98.5</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Home 9-8</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 4</TD><TD class=yspscores>3-7 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /TEAM COMPARISON --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Indiana Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Dec 29 C David Harrison was inactive because of back spasms Friday, but F Jermaine O'Neal played despite a sore left knee and led the Pacers with 25 points. ... G Travis Diener came off the bench in the fourth quarter and scored a season-high 11 points. He made 4-of-5 shots from the field, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range. ... C Troy Murphy is hoping the Pacers have a better effort Saturday when they play the Pistons at home in a rare back-to-back. "We don't feel this was our best effort tonight," Murphy said. "We feel we're a lot better than we showed. Hopefully, we can give them our best tomorrow." </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width="2%"> </TD><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Charlotte Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Dec 15 The Bobcats are ninth in 3-point shooting (.363), but made just 5-of-19 from behind the arc on Friday. ... Nazr Mohammed is expected in Charlotte to take his physical after being traded from Detroit and could be in uniform in Atlanta Saturday night. ... Jermareo Davidson had his assignment to the Sioux Falls SkyForce of the NBA Developmental League put on hold after Charlotte's trade Friday night. ... Ryan Hollins struggled in his starting role Friday with just 2 rebounds, zero points and three fouls in eight minutes. ... Gerald Wallace was 0-for-6 from the three-point line tonight and has made just two of his last 10 attempts. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
NBA - Indiana Pacers/Charlotte Bobcats Preview Monday December 31, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Charlotte 107, Indiana 103, OT


CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Charlotte Bobcats first-year coach Sam Vincent has tinkered with the starting lineup, tweaked his rotation, called out his players and later defended them, all trying to find a way to spark his struggling team.

Nothing had worked of late, including the first 3 1/2 quarters Monday.

Then Gerald Wallace took charge -- and it didn't matter who he was playing with.

Wallace led a furious comeback late in the fourth quarter and dominated overtime, finishing with 36 points in the Bobcats' 107-103 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Charlotte snapped a four-game losing streak by rallying from a 13-point deficit with under 6 minutes left in regulation behind a series of spectacular plays from Wallace.

"We got the ball to Gerald on the offensive end and he took the game over," said Jason Richardson, who added 28 points and played with a swollen face after a collision with Danny Granger. "He pulled the game out for us."

The athletic Wallace, who signed a six-year, $57 million deal in the offseason, had two three-point plays late in regulation. He then hit two 3-pointers in OT and four straight free throws in the final 22 seconds.

With the Pacers having no answer on his drives to the basket, Wallace scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. He also had eight rebounds and four steals.

"It was a big win for us," said Wallace, who shot 9-of-21 from the field and 16-of-22 from the foul line. "The main thing we talked about was we wanted to finish off the year on a good note."

The Pacers have lost four straight. The game marked the sixth time this season Indiana has lost after going ahead by double digits.

It didn't help that the Pacers committed 23 turnovers and watched Mike Dunleavy (18 points) and Troy Murphy (17) foul out late in regulation.

"We've got to figure out a way to change that and hold onto games if we plan on being a good team," said Jermaine O'Neal, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds. "Man, it's a tough one to swallow."

Indiana, playing again without point guard Jamaal Tinsley (left hamstring), got a combined 29 points from fill-ins Andre Owens and Marquis Daniels. But the Pacers disintegrated late in regulation behind a barrage of turnovers, fouls and missed shots.

Charlotte, which hadn't led since the second quarter, tied it on Emeka Okafor's tip-in with 13 seconds left. O'Neal then missed a 17-footer with 6 seconds left.

The only time Wallace failed late was when he missed a contested runner before the buzzer to force OT.

Early it appeared two Charlotte fans would play a role in the Bobcats' demise. With O'Neal stuck on four points on 2-of-9 shooting in the third quarter, two fans in the second row started taunting O'Neal.

He then hit a jumper and told the fans to keep running their mouths. They did, and O'Neal hit two more jumpers as the Pacers built a 66-56 lead.

During a break before a free throw, O'Neal went over to the fans and reached out to shake their hands.

"I appreciate you guys coming to the game," O'Neal said, before breaking into laughter.

The Pacers appeared in control when O'Neal's jumper with 7:12 left put Indiana ahead 87-74. But Indiana managed only three field goals the rest of regulation.

Dunleavy, who fouled out with just over 3 minutes left, was particularly upset about Charlotte shooting 18 free throws in the fourth quarter. Indiana was 1-for-2.

"They got a lot of calls. That was the difference," Dunleavy said. "I've never known a game to have that much of a disparity."

Charlotte, the league's worst free throw shooting team coming into the game, hit 11 straight until Richardson missed his second attempt to leave the Bobcats ahead 103-100 with 32 seconds left in OT.

The comeback felt good for Vincent, who started a small lineup Monday that included point guards Raymond Felton and Jeff McInnis.

"Once we got it to eight the guys started to believe again," Vincent said. "Once we hit six we realized we still had a chance."

Notes

Pacers C David Harrison missed his sixth straight game with a sore back. ... Vincent picked up his first technical foul for arguing an offensive foul call on Wallace late in the third quarter. ... Vincent was in damage control before the game when asked about predicting a playoff berth before the season. "The playoff talk came before we lost about 40 points of production," Vincent said, referring to season-ending injuries to Sean May and Adam Morrison.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Charlotte Bobcats Recap Monday December 31, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Pacers 32 games in

Pacers 32 games in

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=12 height=18>Eastern Conference Standings</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody1><TD class=yspdetailttl width="19%" height=18> Atlantic</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="4%">W</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="4%">L</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="8%">Pct</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="8%">GB</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Home </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Road </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Div </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Conf </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Streak </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="7%">L10 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1><TD> Boston</TD><TD align=right>26</TD><TD align=right>3</TD><TD align=right>.897</TD><TD align=right>--</TD><TD align=right>14-1</TD><TD align=right>12-2</TD><TD align=right>7-0</TD><TD align=right>18-3</TD><TD align=right>Won 6 </TD><TD align=right>9-1 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow2><TD> Toronto</TD><TD align=right>17</TD><TD align=right>15</TD><TD align=right>.531</TD><TD align=right>10.5</TD><TD align=right>8-6</TD><TD align=right>9-9</TD><TD align=right>3-3</TD><TD align=right>10-7</TD><TD align=right>Won 1 </TD><TD align=right>5-5 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1><TD> New Jersey</TD><TD align=right>14</TD><TD align=right>16</TD><TD align=right>.467</TD><TD align=right>12.5</TD><TD align=right>7-11</TD><TD align=right>7-5</TD><TD align=right>2-5</TD><TD align=right>10-10</TD><TD align=right>Won 2 </TD><TD align=right>5-5 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow2><TD> Philadelphia</TD><TD align=right>14</TD><TD align=right>17</TD><TD align=right>.452</TD><TD align=right>13.0</TD><TD align=right>7-9</TD><TD align=right>7-8</TD><TD align=right>2-5</TD><TD align=right>8-9</TD><TD align=right>Won 1 </TD><TD align=right>6-4 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1><TD> New York</TD><TD align=right>8</TD><TD align=right>21</TD><TD align=right>.276</TD><TD align=right>18.0</TD><TD align=right>7-10</TD><TD align=right>1-11</TD><TD align=right>2-3</TD><TD align=right>5-12</TD><TD align=right>Lost 4 </TD><TD align=right>2-8 </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=12 height=5><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody1><TD class=yspdetailttl width="19%" height=18> Central</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="4%">W</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="4%">L</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="8%">Pct</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="8%">GB</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Home </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Road </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Div </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Conf </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Streak </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="7%">L10 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1><TD> Detroit</TD><TD align=right>24</TD><TD align=right>7</TD><TD align=right>.774</TD><TD align=right>--</TD><TD align=right>13-2</TD><TD align=right>11-5</TD><TD align=right>5-2</TD><TD align=right>16-2</TD><TD align=right>Won 9 </TD><TD align=right>9-1 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow2><TD> Indiana</TD><TD align=right>15</TD><TD align=right>17</TD><TD align=right>.469</TD><TD align=right>9.5</TD><TD align=right>7-8</TD><TD align=right>8-9</TD><TD align=right>1-4</TD><TD align=right>8-11</TD><TD align=right>Lost 4 </TD><TD align=right>4-6 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1><TD> Cleveland</TD><TD align=right>14</TD><TD align=right>17</TD><TD align=right>.452</TD><TD align=right>10.0</TD><TD align=right>8-6</TD><TD align=right>6-11</TD><TD align=right>3-2</TD><TD align=right>7-11</TD><TD align=right>Lost 1 </TD><TD align=right>5-5 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow2><TD> Chicago</TD><TD align=right>11</TD><TD align=right>18</TD><TD align=right>.379</TD><TD align=right>12.0</TD><TD align=right>6-8</TD><TD align=right>5-10</TD><TD align=right>3-2</TD><TD align=right>9-10</TD><TD align=right>Lost 1 </TD><TD align=right>4-6 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1><TD> Milwaukee</TD><TD align=right>11</TD><TD align=right>19</TD><TD align=right>.367</TD><TD align=right>12.5</TD><TD align=right>9-4</TD><TD align=right>2-15</TD><TD align=right>2-4</TD><TD align=right>6-11</TD><TD align=right>Lost 4 </TD><TD align=right>3-7 </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=12 height=5><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody1><TD class=yspdetailttl width="19%" height=18> Southeast</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="4%">W</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="4%">L</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="8%">Pct</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="8%">GB</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Home </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Road </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Div </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Conf </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="10%">Streak </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=right width="7%">L10 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1><TD> Orlando</TD><TD align=right>22</TD><TD align=right>11</TD><TD align=right>.667</TD><TD align=right>--</TD><TD align=right>7-6</TD><TD align=right>15-5</TD><TD align=right>6-1</TD><TD align=right>14-5</TD><TD align=right>Won 4 </TD><TD align=right>6-4 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow2><TD> Atlanta</TD><TD align=right>15</TD><TD align=right>13</TD><TD align=right>.536</TD><TD align=right>4.5</TD><TD align=right>10-6</TD><TD align=right>5-7</TD><TD align=right>6-1</TD><TD align=right>9-9</TD><TD align=right>Lost 1 </TD><TD align=right>7-3 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1><TD> Washington</TD><TD align=right>15</TD><TD align=right>14</TD><TD align=right>.517</TD><TD align=right>5.0</TD><TD align=right>9-6</TD><TD align=right>6-8</TD><TD align=right>5-2</TD><TD align=right>10-9</TD><TD align=right>Won 1 </TD><TD align=right>6-4 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow2><TD> Charlotte</TD><TD align=right>11</TD><TD align=right>18</TD><TD align=right>.379</TD><TD align=right>9.0</TD><TD align=right>10-8</TD><TD align=right>1-10</TD><TD align=right>2-8</TD><TD align=right>7-15</TD><TD align=right>Won 1 </TD><TD align=right>4-6 </TD></TR><TR class=ysprow1><TD> Miami</TD><TD align=right>8</TD><TD align=right>23</TD><TD align=right>.258</TD><TD align=right>13.0</TD><TD align=right>4-10</TD><TD align=right>4-13</TD><TD align=right>1-8</TD><TD align=right>3-16</TD><TD align=right>Lost 4 </TD><TD align=right>2-8 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Memphis (8-22) at Indiana (15-17)

The Indiana Pacers' surprising start was derailed by a long losing streak. Their surprising resurgence has ended in similar fashion.

The Pacers look to snap a four-game losing streak and move back closer to .500 on Wednesday when they host the struggling Memphis Grizzlies, who have never won in Indianapolis.

Indiana (15-17) opened the season with three straight wins, but the hot start faded quickly as the Pacers dropped their next six games. They rebounded by going 12-7 between Nov. 17 and Dec. 22, but have lost their last four contests despite having a second-half lead in three of those games.

"In the NBA, everybody makes a run," Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy said. "Why teams have been making runs on us at the end of games is beyond me. Once again, we need to do a better job closing out games."

The Pacers led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter against Charlotte on Monday, but lost 107-103 in overtime. It marked the sixth time Indiana has squandered a double-digit advantage.

"We've got to figure out a way to change that and hold onto games if we plan on being a good team," said Jermaine O'Neal, who had 20 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. "Man, it's a tough one to swallow."

The Pacers have had no problem closing out the Grizzlies (8-22), who are winless in 11 trips to Indianapolis -- the only NBA city in which they've never won.

Including a 121-111 victory in Memphis on Nov. 3, Indiana has won six of its last seven meetings with the Grizzlies to take a 20-4 advantage in the all-time series.

To finally get a win in at Conseco Fieldhouse, the Grizzlies will have to snap a five-game losing streak. They've been outscored by an average of 18.2 points during the skid, and have lost 12 of 14 games overall.

On Sunday, the Grizzlies led San Antonio by as many as 12 points, but they were outscored 38-18 in the third quarter en route to a 111-87 defeat.

"We cannot afford to have any letdowns like that," said forward Pau Gasol, who led the team with 19 points.

The Grizzlies have given up an average of 110.0 points in their last three games and rank 29th in the league in scoring defense at 105.5 per contest.

"When we have a lead we think things are going to be easy. I think when you're losing you cannot give up," Memphis center Darko Milicic said. "We have to get together as a team and play much better defense."

Milicic will have his hands full when he meets O'Neal, who's averaging 21.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists in his last three games. O'Neal has recorded back-to-back games with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists after failing to do so his first 24 contests.

The Pacers, though, will likely be without starting point guard Jamaal Tinsley for the third straight game. Tinsley, averaging 13.8 points and a career-best 8.7 assists, is nursing a strained left hamstring.

Dunleavy led the Pacers with 27 points and eight rebounds in Indiana's first game against Memphis, while Mike Miller had 14 points, 10 boards and seven assists to lead the Grizzlies.


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=9 height=18>Team Comparison</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody2 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="18%" height=18> Team</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="10%">Record</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="23%">Standings</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">PF</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="8%">PA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="3%"> </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="16%">Road/Home</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="8%">Streak</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">L10 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Memphis</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>8-22</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>5th Southwest / 14th West</TD><TD class=yspscores>100.6</TD><TD class=yspscores>105.5</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Road 3-11</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 5</TD><TD class=yspscores>2-8 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Indiana</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>15-17</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>2nd Central / 7th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>103.6</TD><TD class=yspscores>104.4</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Home 7-8</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 4</TD><TD class=yspscores>4-6 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /TEAM COMPARISON --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Memphis Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Dec 31 G Mike Conley Jr., who has missed 20 straight games with a shoulder injury, scored four points in 20 minutes of action. ... The Spurs' 38-point third quarter was the most any opponent has scored against the Grizzlies in the third this season. ... Memphis is 6-9 when leading after the first quarter, and 4-17 when it gives up at least 100 points. ... Memphis has lost seven straight games in San Antonio.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width="2%"> </TD><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Indiana Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Dec 29 C David Harrison was inactive because of back spasms Friday, but F Jermaine O'Neal played despite a sore left knee and led the Pacers with 25 points. ... G Travis Diener came off the bench in the fourth quarter and scored a season-high 11 points. He made 4-of-5 shots from the field, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range. ... C Troy Murphy is hoping the Pacers have a better effort Saturday when they play the Pistons at home in a rare back-to-back. "We don't feel this was our best effort tonight," Murphy said. "We feel we're a lot better than we showed. Hopefully, we can give them our best tomorrow." </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
--www.yahoo.com

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

STRUGGLING!

Memphis 90, Indiana 72

Michael Conley simply did what he usually does at Conseco Fieldhouse.

He returned to the building where he won three state championships and led the Memphis Grizzlies to a 90-72 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

The rookie point guard had seven points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals in his first career start, and his first regular-season game in his hometown. Conley, who played at Lawrence North High School, was the No. 4 pick in the draft after playing one year at Ohio State.

"It's a dream come true for me to be here, playing in the NBA already," he said. "It was good to come back and play here in front of my friends and family."

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Grizzlies.

"The win is the cherry on top," Conley said. "I don't care about how many points or assists I had if we lose a game."

Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said Conley played well.

"I thought for his first NBA start, he did a very nice job," he said. "It just seemed like he was in command of the offense."

Pau Gasol had 30 points and 12 rebounds, Rudy Gay scored 24 points and Mike Miller had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Grizzlies extended Indiana's losing streak to five games. It was Memphis' fourth road win in 15 tries this season and its first win at Conseco.

"We were due," said Iavaroni, in his first season with the Grizzlies. "I've had certain things to inherit, and that was one of them."

Conley's reward for his effort is a start Friday in Boston.

"You get a small window for opportunities, and you've got to take it sometimes," he said. "I try to make the best of this opportunity I have right now."

Mike Dunleavy scored 16 points, Troy Murphy had 10 points and 15 rebounds and Jeff Foster added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers.

Indiana had scored at least 90 points for 25 straight games, but the Pacers shot a season-low 31 percent. It was their lowest field-goal shooting at Conseco Fieldhouse since it opened in 1999.

"We played very bad tonight," Indiana guard Marquis Daniels said. "We struggled from the get-go. We've got to pull ourselves together and play like the basketball team we used to be."

It was the fewest points Memphis has allowed this season and by far the lowest field-goal rate by a Grizzlies opponent.

"Frankly, they're not going to shoot that way every night," Iavaroni said. "It wasn't all us, they had a rough night shooting. I'd like to think we had something to do with that."

Indiana point guard Jamaal Tinsley missed his third straight game with a sore left hamstring, and the Pacers have lost them all. He last played on Dec. 28 against Detroit.

Indiana led 44-40 late in the first half before Gay made a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to make it 44-43. The Pacers turned the ball over and gave Memphis the ball under its basket and a chance to take the lead, but Gasol's mid-range jumper missed as time expired.

Memphis opened the second half on a 12-2 run to take a 55-46 lead.

After Indiana cut the deficit to 57-53, Conley made a jumper and layup during a 6-0 run that gave Memphis a 63-53 lead and forced Indiana to call timeout. The Pacers closed the third quarter on a 6-1 run to cut their deficit to 71-63.

Memphis slowly stretched the lead in the fourth quarter and led by 18 points in the period. The Pacers were held to nine points and shot 3-for-17 in the final quarter.

The nine points were the fewest the Pacers have scored in a fourth quarter since joining the NBA in 1976.

"Every loss is disturbing and painful," Indiana coach Jim O'Brien said. "We have to figure it out. Anytime you lose five in a row, you take a step back."

Memphis hopes the win sparks a long-term change.

"It's a good way to start off a year," Gasol said. "We want to continue with this kind of attitude, work and effort."

Notes

Indiana C David Harrison sat out with a sore back. ... Only three Memphis players scored in the first quarter -- Gasol, Miller and Gay. ... Indiana outrebounded Memphis 31-22 in the first half. ... Memphis snapped a three-game losing streak in the series. ... Indiana guard Andre Owens had 11 points after posting a career-high 15 points in a loss at Charlotte on Monday. ... Memphis assistant coach Johnny Davis was an assistant for the Pacers last season.

NBA - Memphis Grizzlies/Indiana Pacers Recap Wednesday January 2, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="10%"></TD><TD width="39%">Atlanta at Indiana
Fri Jan 4, 2008, 7:00 pm EST</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Atlanta (15-14) at Indiana (15-18)

The Indiana Pacers may have hit a low point on their most recent losing streak.

They'll try to avoid matching their longest slide of the season on Friday when they host the Atlanta Hawks, who are trying to salvage the finale of a three-game road trip.

The Pacers (15-18) have lost five straight, including Wednesday's 90-72 defeat at home to a last-place Memphis team that had dropped five in a row overall and had never won in Indianapolis. Indiana's five-game losing streak is its longest since dropping six straight Nov. 7-16.

"Every loss is disturbing and painful. It's our job to figure it out," coach Jim O'Brien said. "Any time you lose five in a row, you take a step back. We will figure this situation out and be ready to play Friday night."

Wednesday's defeat may have been the most demoralizing one of the losing streak, which began with a 107-95 loss in Atlanta on Dec. 26. The Pacers, coming off a 107-103 overtime loss in Charlotte on Monday, shot a season-low 31 percent - their worst percentage at Conseco Fieldhouse since it opened in 1999.

Indiana shot just 3-of-17 in the final quarter and managed only nine points - the fewest it has scored in the fourth since joining the NBA in 1976. The Pacers failed to reach 90 points for the first time in 26 games.

"We played very bad tonight. We struggled from the get-go," guard Marquis Daniels said. "We've got to pull ourselves together and play like the basketball team we used to be."

Getting their point guard back on the floor would no doubt help the Pacers shake their most recent skid. Jamaal Tinsley, who is averaging 13.8 points and ranks fifth in the NBA in assists at 8.7 per game, has missed the last three games with a sore left hamstring.

The Pacers have dropped six of nine against the Hawks (15-14), but have won 12 of 14 at home in the series. Atlanta's Joe Johnson had 16 points and 11 assists in the win over Indiana on Dec. 26.

"They create tough matchups for us," O'Brien said after that game. "Josh Smith, playing one of the big spots, is tougher for our guys because he's so athletic. Joe Johnson is always a tough guy to guard for anybody."

The Hawks are coming off Wednesday's 98-94 loss in Cleveland. Johnson scored 24 points and Smith 20 for Atlanta, which had won a season-best five straight before dropping its last two on this trip.

"In the first half, we did a great job of defending. In the second half, we were still defending well, but they came out and really made some tough shots," said swingman Marvin Williams, who had 16 points.

The Hawks were coming off a 9-4 December, their best record in the month since 1993-94. They had won five of seven on the road before their last two games.

"Atlanta is a very tough team, very talented team, and they beat us down there on their court," Indiana guard Kareem Rush said. "We must come back now and protect our turf."


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=9 height=18>Team Comparison</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody2 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="18%" height=18> Team</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="10%">Record</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="23%">Standings</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">PF</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="8%">PA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="3%"> </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="16%">Road/Home</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="8%">Streak</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">L10 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Atlanta</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>15-14</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>2nd Southeast / 5th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>94.5</TD><TD class=yspscores>95.1</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Road 5-8</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 2</TD><TD class=yspscores>6-4 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Indiana</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>15-18</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>3rd Central / 9th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>102.7</TD><TD class=yspscores>103.9</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Home 7-9</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 5</TD><TD class=yspscores>4-6 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /TEAM COMPARISON --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Atlanta Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 3 The Hawks have dropped games in Dallas and Cleveland since a five-game winning streak. ... After being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on December 24, G Joe Johnson had an off game at Dallas, shooting 6-of-18 for 17 points. He bounced back for 24 points against the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. ... F-C Al Horford has led Atlanta in rebounding the last two games, with 10 at Dallas and nine at Cleveland. ... The Hawks equaled their season low with nine turnovers. ... F Marvin Williams knocked down all 12 of his free throws - a season high for the Hawks. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width="2%"> </TD><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Indiana Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 3 Indiana shot just 30 percent (28-of-91) from the field to set a all-time low at Conseco Fieldhouse. ... C Jermaine O'Neal blocked a season-best four shots, and has at least two in nine consecutive games. ... The Pacers were held to only 28 points in the second half - lowest of the season. ... Indiana grabbed 19 offensive rebounds. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

NBA - Atlanta Hawks/Indiana Pacers Preview Friday January 4, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[SenileAndy]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Goin with the Pacers tonight boys!!
Snap the drought, take home the W.

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Good call Andy!

Indiana 113, Atlanta 91

Danny Granger bounced back from one of the worst games of his career with one of his best.

The third-year forward tied a career high with 32 points and the Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks 113-91 on Friday night to snap a five-game losing streak.

Granger, who tied his career best points total on a dunk late in the fourth quarter, shot 10-for-15 from the field and had nine rebounds. The performance came two nights after he was held to six points on 2-for-9 shooting in a loss to Memphis on Wednesday.

"It was working tonight," Granger said. "I've been in a slump, or whatever you want to call it, but it's good to get back on track."

Granger also guarded Joe Johnson, the Hawks' leading scorer, for much of the night. Johnson had 26 points and 11 assists in a win over the Pacers on Dec. 26, but he scored just eight points this time.

Indiana forward Jermaine O'Neal appreciated Granger's all-around effort.

"It's definitely good to see him scoring," O'Neal said. "We need him to really lock in and bring that every single night for us. I think Danny did a great job, not only offensively, but he was very impressive defensively with Joe Johnson."

Mike Dunleavy had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Kareem Rush scored 20 points for the Pacers.

It was Indiana's largest victory margin at home this season. The Pacers shot 13-for-25 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Hawks 49-35 to win before heading out on a five-game road trip.

Indiana coach Jim O'Brien said earlier in the day that no game is more important than any other, but his players disagreed.

"It becomes sort of mental to a point," Granger said. "We gave some games away to teams we probably should have beaten, but we got some good momentum going into the West Coast. Those losing streaks potentially ruin seasons, so I'm glad we snapped it."

Indiana scored a season-low 72 points in the loss to Memphis, but shot 48 percent against Atlanta. The Hawks gave the Pacers credit, but said they didn't offer much resistance.

"We didn't put the pressure on them defensively, and they were able to come down and get comfort jump shots," Josh Childress, who tied a career high with 26 points, said. "Once they blew open the lead, it was hard to catch up."

Josh Smith added 20 points for the Atlanta, which has lost three straight. The Hawks, one of the pleasant surprises of the NBA season, hope they're not falling back into their old ways.

"We had a terrible game tonight," Atlanta point guard Anthony Johnson said. "We didn't do anything well, in any phase of the game. In this league, there are nights like this that are always out there, always lurking. But to have this happen against a team that's lost five games in a row like the Pacers have ... definitely a setback for us."

Indiana led 39-37 in the second quarter before closing with a 15-6 run to take a 54-43 lead at halftime. Dunleavy had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.

The Pacers started the second half on a 16-5 run that included eight points by Granger to take a 70-48 lead. Indiana extended that advantage to 87-61 by the end of the period.

Indiana's largest lead was 31 points in the fourth quarter.

Pacers point guard Jamaal Tinsley sat out his fourth straight game with a sore left thigh. It was the team's first win without him.

The Pacers often have given up big leads this season, but they put the pressure on in the third quarter and outscored the Hawks 33-18 in the period.

"We were so flat from the beginning," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "Offensively, we were struggling to score a little bit. We compounded it by not defending and rebounding the ball, and that's a bad combination. They were desperate for a win to get off that slide. They did what they had to do and we didn't respond."

Notes

Indiana C David Harrison played after missing seven games with a sore back. He entered with 2:22 left in the first quarter, and finished with two points in seven minutes. ... Indianapolis Colts players Gary Brackett, Bob Sanders, Antoine Bethea, Ben Utecht and Marlin Jackson attended the game. They got a standing ovation when their presence was announced. ... Anthony Johnson, a former Pacer, started for the Hawks and finished with four points and one assist in 22 minutes. ... Indiana F Shawne Williams didn't play because of coaching decisions in two of the past three games. He went scoreless and fouled out in nine minutes against the Hawks.


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="10%"></TD><TD width="39%">Indiana at LA Lakers
Sun Jan 6, 2008, 9:30 pm EST</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


NBA - Atlanta Hawks/Indiana Pacers Recap Friday January 4, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Indiana (16-18) at LA Lakers (20-11)

Long known for their stifling defense, the Indiana Pacers are one of the top-scoring teams in the league. But keeping up with the Los Angeles Lakers may be too much to ask.

The high-powered Lakers (20-11) look for their sixth win in seventh games on Sunday when they host the Pacers, who are beginning a five-game Western road trip.

Los Angeles has scored 107.0 points per game -- third-best in the league -- but has been even better lately. In their last three wins, the Lakers have averaged 123.0 points, highlighted by a 124-93 victory over Philadelphia on Friday -- their most lopsided win of the season.

They recorded their best shooting percentage in more than 23 years by making 66.2 percent (47-for-72) of their shots.

"I enjoy these games because it helps build momentum," Kobe Bryant said.

The Lakers have had plenty to work with lately. They've won 11 of their last 14 and have outscored their opponents by 7.8 points per contest.

If recent history is any indication, a visit from the Pacers may help pad those numbers. Los Angeles has beaten Indiana at Staples Center eight straight times in the regular season and 11 times overall, including three wins in the 2000 NBA finals.

While Kobe Bryant is still the primary offensive option and averaging 26.7 points -- second only to LeBron James -- the Lakers have had more success due to better balance. Ten players average at least 6.3 points, and accordingly, Bryant's average is five points lower than last season and almost nine points below his league-leading 35.4 per game in 2005-06.

Los Angeles also has one of the league's highest-scoring benches, averaging 35.6 points. The Lakers received 54 from their reserves on Friday, including 19 from rookie Javaris Crittenton and 16 from Jordan Farmar.

Another key to the team's emergence as a Western power has been Andrew Bynum. The 20-year-old center is averaging 12.4 points and 10.0 rebounds, and has 16 double-doubles -- six more than last season.

Bynum is second in the NBA in field-goal percentage (62.5) and 10th in blocked shots (2.0).

Like the Lakers, the Pacers (16-18) haven't had much trouble scoring. Indiana is second in the Eastern Conference with 103.0 points per game.

The Pacers had only averaged 92.6 points, however, in losing five in a row from Dec. 26-Jan. 2. But Indiana finally regained its scoring touch on Friday, beating Atlanta 113-91 to snap its skid.

"It becomes sort of mental to a point," said forward Danny Granger, who tied a career high with 32 points. "We gave some games away to teams we probably should have beaten, but we got some good momentum going into the West Coast."

Granger is second on the team with 16.6 ppg, but he had struggled during the team's losing streak, averaging just 10.6 points.

"It's definitely good to see him scoring," center Jermaine O'Neal said. "We need him to really lock in and bring that every single night for us."

Despite the Pacers' problems, Mike Dunleavy has emerged as the team's leading scorer. The small forward, who averages 17.4 points, has scored 19.1 points per game over his last 10.

Indiana has been without point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who injured his hamstring on Dec. 28, for its last four games. Tinsley, whose 8.7 assists per game rank fifth in the league, is expected to return during the road trip.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Los Angeles Lakers Preview Sunday January 6, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=9 height=18>Team Comparison</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody2 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="18%" height=18> Team</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="10%">Record</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="23%">Standings</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">PF</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="8%">PA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="3%"> </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="16%">Road/Home</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="8%">Streak</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">L10 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Indiana</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>16-18</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>3rd Central / 9th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>103.0</TD><TD class=yspscores>103.6</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Road 8-9</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Won 1</TD><TD class=yspscores>4-6 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> LA Lakers</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>20-11</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>2nd Pacific / 6th West</TD><TD class=yspscores>107.0</TD><TD class=yspscores>101.6</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Home 12-5</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Won 1</TD><TD class=yspscores>7-3 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /TEAM COMPARISON --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Indiana Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 4 Indiana has won four of its last six games against Atlanta. ... The Pacers' 13 3-pointers tied a season-high. ... The Pacers had more than one player score 20-plus points for the 13th time this season. They are 10-3 in those games. ... With four blocked shots, C Jermaine O'Neal has two-or-more blocks in 10 straight games.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width="2%"> </TD><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> LA Lakers Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 5 The Lakers were dealt a blow when F Vladimir Radmanovic sprained his ankle in Thursday's practice. He was put on the inactive list and his condition is uncertain. ... F Ronny Turiaf tied his career high with five blocks. ... Los Angeles tied its season high in blocked shots with nine. ... Coach Phil Jackson is now alone in seventh place in career victories with 939. He broke the tie with former Celtic coach Red Auerbach. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Lakers 112, Pacers 96

Pacers start Western swing with loss

Early 10-point lead not enough as Lakers dominate 2nd half


The start seemed promising for the Indiana Pacers against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Pacers jumped out to a quick 10-point lead, giving a glimmer of hope they might be able to end their drought against the Lakers in Los Angeles.

But that was about the only good thing that happened for the Pacers on Sunday night at the Staples Center.

The Lakers used a 25-9 run at the start of the third quarter and went on to beat the Pacers 112-96.

The Pacers, 1-15 in their last 16 trips to Los Angeles against the Lakers, have dropped six of their past seven games. They continue their five-game road trip Tuesday at the Utah Jazz.

"It's rough; we were two, three games above .500 and the next thing you know we were three below. Now we have a tough stretch ahead of us," Pacers forward Danny Granger said. "We have to get it together and buckle down."

Mike Dunleavy led the Pacers with 17 points. Granger added 13.

The Pacers scored the first two points of the second half to make it a two-point game, but the Lakers scored 25 of the next 34 points to take an 18-point lead, 82-64.

The Pacers eventually got the Lakers' lead down to seven, 92-85, and even had a chance to make it a four-point game but Dunleavy missed an open 3-pointer.

The Lakers got their lead back up to 11 when Kobe Bryant, who was on the bench during the Pacers' run, made back-to-back jumpers.

The Pacers went nine straight possessions without scoring and the Lakers stretched their lead to 23 points in about four minutes.

"We had a chance to cut it to four with an open 3 but we couldn't get over the hump; they brought their starters back in," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "We had difficulty with their starting lineup the entire night."

The Pacers didn't have an answer in the post for center Andrew Bynum, who the Lakers were reluctant to trade to several teams, including the Pacers, last summer.

Bynum followed up a 17-point, 10-rebound and four-block performance against the Pacers in November by getting 23 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks Sunday.

"My hat is off to (Lakers general manager) for not making a move, he saw what he had," O'Brien said. "He is just a terrific talent and a huge presence inside. You can't guard Kobe one on one, and when you bring someone over to help they just drive in front of the rim and he seemed like he's eight feet tall to me tonight. His development is a credit to him, their staff and the whole organization."

Bryant made up for a slow start by scoring 16 of his 26 points in the second half for the Lakers. Veteran Derek Fisher had 22 points, including three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

O'Brien yanked his starters when they trailed by 20 points with about three minutes remaining.

"It's unfortunate we couldn't completely come back in the fourth quarter," Dunleavy said. "We missed some shots and got cold going down the stretch. It's too bad."

Pacers start Western swing with loss | IndyStar.com

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

<TABLE class=listTable borderColor=#000000 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=1><TBODY><TR class=listTableTitle><TD>January</TD><TD>Opponent</TD><TD>Time</TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Tue 08</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> @ Utah </TD><TD class=lt_time> 9:00pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv></TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Wed 09</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> @ Phoenix </TD><TD class=lt_time> 9:00pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv> </TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Sat 12</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> @ Sacramento </TD><TD class=lt_time> 10:00pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv> </TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Sun 13</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> @ Golden State </TD><TD class=lt_time> 9:00pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv> </TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Wed 16</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> vs Golden State http://www.ticketmaster.com/cgi/out...52&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=7&brand=pacers</TD><TD class=lt_time> 7:00pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv> </TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Sat 19</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> vs Sacramento http://www.ticketmaster.com/cgi/out...52&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=7&brand=pacers</TD><TD class=lt_time> 7:00pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv> </TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Mon 21</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> @ Philadelphia </TD><TD class=lt_time> 2:00pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv> </TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Wed 23</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> @ Chicago </TD><TD class=lt_time> 8:30pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv> </TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Thu 24</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> @ Milwaukee </TD><TD class=lt_time> 8:00pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv></TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Sat 26</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> @ Miami </TD><TD class=lt_time> 3:30pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv> </TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=lt_date> Tue 29</D> <TD class=lt_opponent> vs Detroit http://www.ticketmaster.com/cgi/out...52&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=7&brand=pacers</TD><TD class=lt_time> 7:00pm</TD><TD class=lt_localtv> </TD><TD class=lt_nattv> </TD><TD class=lt_radio> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>



PACERS HITTING THE ROAD PLAYING AT LA LAKERS LAST NIGHT.

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Indiana (16-19) at Utah (18-17)



The Utah Jazz have been struggling since early December, but at home, they are enjoying plenty of success.

The Jazz open a four-game homestand Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers, looking to bounce back from another difficult loss.

Utah (18-17) fell 103-89 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday in a bid for its third straight win. The Jazz began the season 13-5, but have since gone 5-12. Eleven of those games were on the road, however, and Utah hopes a favorable stretch over the remainder of the month will provide a chance to regain some momentum.

Eight of the Jazz's next 11 games in January are at home, where they are 12-3 and have outscored opponents by an average of 11.9 points.

Utah is looking to bounce back from one if its worst offensive games of the season. The Jazz, who average 104.5 points, tied a season low with 89 points Saturday and were outscored 27-13 at the foul line.

Deron Williams scored 23 points and Mehmet Okur added 15, but leading scorer Carlos Boozer was held to a season-low six on 3-of-16 shooting. Andrei Kirilenko, who averages 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, did not make the trip because of lower back inflammation.

"For what we know, the tests have been OK, so we'll just have to go from there," said coach Jerry Sloan, who had no timetable for Kirilenko's return.

This is the final meeting between Utah and Indiana (16-19). The Pacers won 117-97 on Nov. 17, and are looking to sweep the series for the second time in three seasons.

Indiana opened its five-game road trip with a 112-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday -- its sixth loss in the last seven games. The Pacers play eight of their next 10 on the road, where they are 8-10 and have dropped five straight.

They trailed by two at the end of the first half, but were outscored 35-19 in the third quarter. After a brief charge against the Lakers' reserves to close within seven midway through the fourth quarter, the Pacers allowed 16 straight points.

Mike Dunleavy scored 17 points and Danny Granger added 14. Jamaal Tinsley, who is averaging 13.8 points, missed his fifth straight game due to a sore hamstring. The Pacers are hoping he'll be able to return sometime during this road trip.

"It's rough. We were two games above .500 (on Dec. 22), and the next thing you know, we're three below," Granger said. "And now we have a rough stretch coming up, playing against all these West Coast teams."

The Pacers, who are 7-8 versus the West, continue their road trip Wednesday against Phoenix before back-to-back games at Sacramento and Golden State beginning Saturday.

The Jazz won the last meeting in Salt Lake City after losing the previous three. They have won 10 of the last 15 there.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Utah Jazz Preview Tuesday January 8, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=9 height=18>Team Comparison</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody2 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="18%" height=18> Team</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="10%">Record</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="23%">Standings</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">PF</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="8%">PA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="3%"> </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="16%">Road/Home</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="8%">Streak</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">L10 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Indiana</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>16-19</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>3rd Central / 9th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>102.8</TD><TD class=yspscores>103.8</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Road 8-10</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 1</TD><TD class=yspscores>3-7 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Utah</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>18-17</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>3rd Northwest / 9th West</TD><TD class=yspscores>104.5</TD><TD class=yspscores>100.8</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Home 12-3</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 1</TD><TD class=yspscores>4-6 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /TEAM COMPARISON --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Indiana Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 7 Point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who injured his hamstring on December 28, has been out of the Pacers' lineup for the last five games. Tinsley, who ranks among the league leaders with 8.7 assists per game, is slated to return sometime during the road trip. ... Kareem Rush, who was drafted by the Lakers, came off the bench to score 12 points for the Pacers. "It's always fun to come back and play where you used to play, I had a lot of great memories here." </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width="2%"> </TD><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Utah Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 6 F Andrei Kirilenko did not travel with the team because of lower back inflammation. "For what we know, the tests have been OK, so we'll just have to go from there," coach Jerry Sloan said. ... F Carlos Boozer was held in check with just six point 3-of-16 shooting with four turnovers. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Jazz 111, Pacers 89

Pacers suffer worst loss of season.

Utah jumps to big lead before spoiling Tinsley's return with a 22-point victory.

At the rate things are going, the highlight of the Indiana Pacers' five-game trip West may be the two extra days they plan to spend in the Arizona desert, because they're having a difficult time doing much right on the basketball court these days.

The Pacers continued a downward spiral that doesn't appear to have an end in sight when they were thoroughly beaten by the Utah Jazz 111-89 at the Energy Solutions Arena.
The 22-point loss is the worst of the season for the Pacers, who have lost seven of their last eight games overall and six straight on the road.

Things don't get any easier for them on this trip. They play the Phoenix Suns tonight.

"They jumped out on us with a big lead in the first quarter and we never could recover," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "They outplayed us in every phase of the game. With 26 turnovers you're never going to win a basketball game."

It was only two weeks ago that the Pacers were in the thick of things for the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference. They currently have the ninth best record in the conference and players are playing with little emotion as the loses continue to grow.

"We're going through a tough stretch now," Pacers guard Mike Dunleavy said. "Guys have got to persevere and somehow find a way to improve. There's a lot of areas we can improve on. Right now we're just struggling. We have to stick this thing out and get through it."

Point guard Jamaal Tinsley's return to the lineup was overshadowed by the team's poor defensive play.

The Jazz started off their night scoring 40 points, shooting 57 percent and leading by 21 points -- all in the first quarter. They shot at least 50 percent most of the game until the fourth quarter when the outcome was already determined.

Things were so bad defensively for the Pacers that they let Jazz 6-11 center Mehmet Okur contest a shot, grab the rebound and lumber down the court coast-to-coast for a layup, which he was fouled on, in the first half.

Utah got its lead up to 28 points in the second quarter. The Pacers cut it to 13 in the third quarter, but the Jazz quickly got the lead back up to 21.

"It certainly was no fun," O'Brien said. "Our guys never gave up but we just couldn't close the gap enough to make it a game."

The Pacers committed 14 of their season-high 26 turnovers in the first half. Tinsley had six turnovers and Danny Granger and Andre Owens four turnovers each.

"We turned the ball over too much, gave them too many easy shots, just do anything well enough to win," Dunleavy said. "Obviously you got a result like you did tonight, it wasn't even close."

Utah led by as many as 32 points and O'Brien had already emptied his bench by the middle of the fourth quarter.

Granger led the Pacers with 17 points. Carlos Boozer scored a game-high 22 points in just 24 minutes for Utah, which is 13-3 at home this season.

"We got a lot of deflections, a lot of steals and we were very active in helping each other out and that set the tone for us throughout the course of the game," Boozer said. "We did a good job of maintaining that throughout the 48 minutes."

Pacers suffer worst loss of season | IndyStar.com

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Although they are atop the highly competitive Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns have struggled to find their stride and been described as suffering from chemistry problems. That certainly was not evident their last time out.

The high-powered Suns look to carry some momentum from their latest victory and try to continue their dominance over the stumbling Indiana Pacers Wednesday at US Airways Center.

After a disappointing 118-113 home loss to New Orleans on Saturday, Phoenix (24-10) crushed Northwest Division-leading Denver 137-115 on Monday.

Before Monday's shootaround, Suns general manager Steve Kerr gave his team a motivational talk, and the Suns responded with one of their most complete games of the season. Phoenix scored 78 first-half points, and matched the franchise record with 20 3-pointers -- one shy of the NBA record set by Toronto on March 13, 2005.

"A good effort," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "A lot of good things happened and we just have to keep going forward and keep building and keep playing the way we play."

Phoenix has won five of its last six games, and owns a 1 1/2-game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Division, and a half-game lead over San Antonio in the West.

Shawn Marion scored a season-high 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting, grabbed 14 rebounds and matched his career high with six blocked shots on Friday. Marion, who matched a career high with five 3-pointers against the Nuggets, had only six points on 2-of-9 shooting on Saturday.

Marcus Banks made a career-high seven 3s -- in eight attempts -- en route to a season-high 23 points on Monday. Banks has fallen out of favor with D'Antoni on numerous occasions, but has earned his way into the rotation with his recent play. In the last two games, Banks has scored 34 points on 10-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc after playing in just three of the Suns' previous 13 contests.

"All I can do is sit over there and wait until my name's called," Banks said. "When it comes, I'm going to go 110 percent and give them my all and just take care of business out there."

The Suns defeated the Pacers 121-117 on Dec. 4, and have won five straight games over Indiana by an average of 13.6 points.

Amare Stoudemire, who is averaging a team-high 22.0 points, had a season-high 42 on 15-of-24 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds in the win over Indiana in December.

Two-time MVP Steve Nash had 18 points and 17 assists against the Pacers earlier this season, and is averaging 22.4 points on 67.2 percent shooting and 11.4 assists during the winning streak over Indiana.

The Pacers (16-20) are coming off their most-lopsided defeat of the season, a 111-89 loss to Utah on Tuesday. Indiana turned the ball over a season-high 26 times against the Jazz and fell behind by as much as 28 points in the first half.

The Pacers, who were two games above .500 on Dec. 22, have dropped seven of their last eight games.

"We are going through a tough stretch right now and guys have got to persevere," Mike Dunleavy said.

Jamaal Tinsley had 13 points on Tuesday in his return to the Pacers' lineup after missing Indiana's previous five games with a hamstring injury.

Jermaine O'Neal scored only nine points against Utah after sitting out practice Monday because of his painful left knee. O'Neal had a season-high 30 points and 11 boards in the loss to the Suns earlier this season.

The Pacers, who have lost six straight road games, opened a season-high five-game road drip with a 112-96 loss to the Lakers on Sunday.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Phoenix Suns Preview Wednesday January 9, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=9 height=18>Team Comparison</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody2 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="18%" height=18> Team</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="10%">Record</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="23%">Standings</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">PF</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="8%">PA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="3%"> </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="16%">Road/Home</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="8%">Streak</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">L10 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Indiana</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>16-20</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>3rd Central / 9th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>102.4</TD><TD class=yspscores>104.0</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Road 8-11</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 2</TD><TD class=yspscores>2-8 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Phoenix</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>24-10</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>1st Pacific / 1st West</TD><TD class=yspscores>110.1</TD><TD class=yspscores>104.2</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Home 11-4</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Won 1</TD><TD class=yspscores>7-3 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /TEAM COMPARISON --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Indiana Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 9 Former All-Star F Jermaine O'Neal, who averages 15.4 points, missed his first four field-goal attempts and didn't hit a shot until the 4:26 mark of the second quarter. He finished with nine points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks. ... The team committed a season-high 26 turnovers, including 10 in the first quarter and nine in the third. ... Tuesday's game was the second in a five-game West Coast road swing for Indiana. The Pacers lost to both the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz and will next face off against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night in Phoenix before traveling to play the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors over the weekend.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width="2%"> </TD><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Phoenix Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 8 The Suns had a season-high 137 points in their victory Monday over the Denver Nuggets. ... Phoenix made 20 3-points shots which ties a franchise mark and is one shy of the NBA record held by the Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia, March 13, 2005. ... The Suns were led by Shawn Marion, who had a season-high 27 points, 14 rebounds and tied career highs with five 3-pointers and six blocks. ... G Marcus Banks also had a season high coming off the bench to score 23 points as he went 7-of-8 from the arc. ... The Suns, who lead the league in blocks, finished the game with 13 blocked shots. ... F Grant hill and C Amare Stoudemire also contributed with 20 points each. Stoudemire also pulled down 10 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season. Phoenix is 13-0 when Stoudemire records at least 20 points and 10 boards.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Phoenix 129, Indiana 122, OT



Steve Nash was too sick to keep playing, Grant Hill was in the hospital, and still the Phoenix Suns managed to rally from 16 points down to beat the Indiana Pacers.

Raja Bell sank two 3-pointers in the final 2 1/2 minutes of overtime and the Suns beat the Pacers 129-122, Indiana's seventh road loss in a row and eighth defeat in nine games overall.

"We're a little wounded right now, but that's the way it goes," Bell said. "You've got to step up."

Bell scored a season-high 27, including 6-of-11 on 3s. Leandro Barbosa scored 25 of his 27 points after halftime, 16 in the third quarter.

Phoenix played the final 22 minutes and 18 seconds without Nash, who left with the stomach flu. The Suns, down 14 when he left, already were without Hill, who underwent an appendectomy earlier in the day after complaining he didn't feel well at the morning shootaround.

Hill is expected to be out two to three weeks. Nash didn't travel with the team to Utah after the game, but might rejoin them for Thursday night's game against the Jazz.

"Every quarter was better and the energy was good," said Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, who added that Barbosa and Shawn Marion also were feeling ill. "It was a good win for us to come back without Steve. Steve was hurting the whole game and we are lucky to escape."

Amare Stoudemire had 25 points, including a turnaround 10-footer from the baseline that tied it with 26 seconds left in regulation. Stoudemire clinched it by making five of six free throws in the final 1:18 of overtime.

"You got to knock them down when the pressure's on and all eyes are on you," he said. "You've got to keep your composure and stay focused at the line, and that's what it's all about. My team depended on me and I came through."

Danny Granger and Shawne Williams scored 22 points apiece in a strong effort by Indiana one night after a 111-89 loss at Utah. Jamaal Tinsley scored 19, but was 8-for-26 shooting, including 4-for-18 in the fourth quarter and overtime.

"This team came in here after a blowout loss and without Jermaine O'Neal, you can't fault the effort," coach Jim O'Brien said. "The effort was exceptional."

O'Neal played Tuesday night, but struggled to just nine points. He doesn't play on back-to-back nights because of his sore left knee. The Pacers also lost Kareem Rush with a back injury and Travis Diener with a sprained right ankle in the third quarter.

Still, playing its third road game in four nights, Indiana led by as many as 11 in the second quarter and was up 85-69 after Marquis Daniels' layup with 5:32 left in the third.

The Suns used a 21-4 outburst to go up 98-97 on Marcus Banks' left-handed layup in traffic, their only lead in the third or fourth quarters. It was Banks' lone field goal.

But Williams, who fouled out in overtime, made a 22-footer and a 3-pointer in a 6-0 spurt that put Indiana back on top, 102-97, with 8:22 to go. His three-point play gave the Pacers a 108-102 lead with 6:10 left.

Both teams went cold after Marion's rebound stuff cut it to 111-107 with 5:03 left in regulation. Barbosa's two free throws made it 111-110 with 3:08 to go, then Tinsley made one of two free throws to boost Indiana's lead to 112-110 with 2:06 left in the fourth.

The Suns had three chances to tie it or take the lead before Stoudemire hit the baseline jumper that tied it. Tinsley missed a 16-footer and Phoenix got the ball with 1.1 seconds to go, but Mike Dunleavy stripped it from Barbosa at the buzzer.

Barbosa scored 11 of the Suns' last 16 points of the third quarter, eight in a 12-2 run to close the period and cut the Pacers' lead to 92-88 entering the fourth.

Notes

The Pacers shot 68 percent (13-for-19) in the first quarter to the Suns' 46 percent, and still trailed 35-31. That's because the Suns went 5-for-7 from 3-point range. ... Diener scored a season-high 12 before hurting his ankle with 1:47 left in the third quarter. ... Indiana's last road win was Dec. 17 at New York.

Yahoo!

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Pacers next loss...

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=5 height=3><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width="10%"></TD><TD width="39%">Indiana at Sacramento
Sat Jan 12, 2008, 10:00 pm EST</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Indiana (16-21) at Sacramento (14-20)

Following a stirring, comeback victory, the Sacramento Kings seek a season-high three-game winning streak Saturday night when they host the struggling Indiana Pacers.

The Kings (14-20) overcame a 10-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter Thursday, before Francisco Garcia hit a 3-pointer with 7.9 seconds to play to secure a 116-113 win over Memphis. The victory came on the heels of Tuesday's 104-100 win over Orlando to open a four-game homestand.

Sacramento hasn't won three games in a row since a four-game winning streak from Feb. 28-March 6.

"In the last 5 minutes of the game we started making shots and that picks up your energy," Kings coach Reggie Theus said after Thursday's victory. "We've played through adversity all year, this wasn't the first time. Our guys don't quit.

"Sometimes when you win games like this, it becomes addictive. The guys know that they stuck together and in the end they made plays. The defense worked for us, the offense worked. They got the open guy shots and they feel good about it."

John Salmons has been a major factor in the Kings' last two wins. After scoring 21 points against the Magic, he totaled 28 with 11 rebounds and seven assists - including one on Garcia's game-winning shot - on Thursday.

Salmons appears to be moving into a more significant offensive role, averaging 19.5 points in the last 17 games - all starts due to a groin injury to leading scorer Kevin Martin. The swingman averaged 8.5 points last season, his first with Sacramento.

"I think with the team we have now, we all do it together," Salmons said. "It's not an individual player. We don't have that type of talent to do that."

The Kings have won eight of their last 10 meetings with Indiana (16-21), including four of five at Arco Arena.

The Pacers, losers of eight of their last nine overall, are looking to snap a seven-game road losing streak after being defeated 129-122 in overtime at Phoenix on Wednesday.

They'll have to try to snap the skid without reserve center David Harrison, who was suspended five games by the NBA on Friday for violating the league's anti-drug program.

"This is a private matter and we will do what we can to provide David any help going forward," Pacers president Larry Bird said in a statement.

Harrison, who has averaged 4.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 27 games this season, was one of five Pacers charged in a brawl with Detroit Pistons fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Nov. 19, 2004. Harrison was not suspended for that incident, but still faces a lawsuit related to it.

Especially with Harrison out, Indiana hopes Jermaine O'Neal's expected return to the lineup will provide a lift after he sat out Wednesday's loss to rest his sore left knee - an injury which also caused him to miss five games in November.

O'Neal is averaging 15.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He had 22 points and 12 rebounds in the Pacers' last meeting with the Kings, a 102-98 loss at Sacramento on March 6.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Sacramento Kings Preview Saturday January 12, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Dunleavy leads Pacers over Kings.

Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - Mike Dunleavy scored 23 points and was one of seven Pacers players in double figures as Indiana outlasted Sacramento, 111-105, at ARCO Arena.

Travis Diener tallied 19 off the bench for the Pacers, who snapped a three- game skid and won for just the second time in their last 10 games. They also snapped a seven-game skid on the road.

Danny Granger finished with 14 points, Marquis Daniels and Jermaine O'Neal added 12 apiece, while Kareem Rush and Shawne Williams each chipped in 10 in the victory.

"This was a good win to get us back on track," O'Neal said. "We have to put together a string of games to get that winning feeling back. We can't get used to losing. That is a bad trait that you don't want to have."

Kevin Martin had a game-high 25 points for Sacramento, which had a brief two- game win streak halted. Francisco Garcia had 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Brad Miller added 14 points and 15 boards. Martin had missed the last 17 games with a groin injury.

"This is just a simple game that they had 17 turnovers, we had 23," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "But that's not a team that you can turn the ball over on. We turned the ball over against no pressure and that's what really bothers me."

The Pacers appeared to be in good standing from the opening tip, rolling out to a 15-6 lead behind the combined efforts of Rush, Dunleavy and Granger. The Kings briefly curbed the momentum on a John Salmons' jumper, but Indiana shook it off.

The teams then went back-and-forth until a Williams jumper with three seconds left in the stanza gave the Pacers a 29-21 cushion heading to the second quarter.

Indiana continued to play frontrunner and coasted to the break with a 65-53 lead.

Sacramento showed some life in the third, as Beno Udrih's trey at the 8:47 mark sparked a 15-2 run that eventually pulled the Kings within a point, 71-70, at 3:27.

The Pacers managed to regroup behind Diener, who went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in a little more than a minute. Combined with a Troy Murphy fadeaway jumper, and with the Kings relying on free throws at the other end, it was 84-76 at 1:26.

Sacramento still trailed, 86-80, heading to the fourth but continued to battle. The Kings cut it to 95-92 with eight minutes remaining, but didn't make noise again until there was a little more than a minute showing on the game clock.

An Udrih jumper cut it to 106-103, but O'Neal drew a loose ball foul on Martin and made both free throws. Then, off Miller's missed three-point shot for the Kings, Granger hit a shot from beyond the arc, giving the Pacers an insurmountable 110-103 lead with just 18 ticks left.

Game Notes

Sacramento hasn't won three games in a row since a four-game winning streak from Feb. 28-March 6, 2007...Indiana reserve center David Harrison started serving his five game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug program...O'Neal returned to the lineup after he sat out Wednesday's loss to rest his sore left knee...Udrih ended with 14 points for the Kings... Salmons donated 15 points on the night.

The Sports Network - National Basketball Association

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Golden State vs. Indiana Game Preview

(Sports Network) - The Indiana Pacers will wrap up a five-game road trip when they take on the Golden State Warriors this evening at ORACLE Arena.

Indiana is 1-3 on the trip and ended a three-game slide with Saturday's 111-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings at ARCO Arena. Mike Dunleavy scored 23 points and Travis Diener tallied 19 off the bench for the Pacers, who won for just the second time in their last 10 games overall. They also snapped a seven-game skid on the road and improved to 9-12 as the visitor this season.

Danny Granger finished with 14 points, while Marquis Daniels and Jermaine O'Neal added 12 apiece in the win.

Golden State has won two of its last three games and recorded a 116-104 triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday in the opener of a short two-game homestand.

Monta Ellis scored 27 points and Baron Davis dished out a career-high 19 assists to go with 20 points, as the Warriors beefed up their 10-7 record as the host this season.

Stephen Jackson had 22 points and Al Harrington netted 19 and grabbed nine rebounds for Golden State, which has won two straight at home.

The Pacers and Warriors split a pair of meetings last season, while Indiana has won four of five and six of the last eight encounters.

Indiana has also won two in a row and seven of 10 games in Oakland.

NBA | KGET TV 17

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Golden State 106, Indiana 101

From Mike Dunleavy's opening introduction to his final missed 3-pointer, the booing Golden State fans let their least favorite player know just how much they still despise him.

And after the Warriors finished their 106-101 comeback victory Sunday night over Dunleavy and his Indiana Pacers, the much-reviled forward confirmed that the feeling is mutual.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," said Dunleavy, who spent his first 4 1/2 NBA seasons with the Warriors. "I couldn't care less. It's hard to pay attention and care about something somebody says when you have no respect for them. They can do whatever they want."

The Warriors got their third win in four games with an impressive comeback led by Monta Ellis, who scored nine of his 29 points in the fourth quarter in an inspired response to a cheap-shot foul by Jamaal Tinsley.

Baron Davis added 27 points for Golden State, but the savvy crowd at Oracle Arena seemed most excited by the chance to boo Dunleavy yet again. Though he's averaging a career-best 17.3 points as the Pacers' leading scorer, Dunleavy was a profound disappointment to the Bay Area, with fans booing him regularly and heavily over his last two seasons.

The former No. 3 overall draft pick hadn't been back to town since he was shipped to Indiana last Jan. 17 along with Troy Murphy in an eight-player trade that sent Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington to Golden State, profoundly altering both franchises.

Though Dunleavy finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in one of his better all-around efforts of the season, he missed a potential tying free throw with 1:34 left -- and Indiana never got back in it.

"We were running on fumes this game," Dunleavy said of the Pacers' finale on a five-game road trip. "Playing these teams -- Phoenix, Sacramento, Golden State -- they really wear on you. I thought we got it together in the end, but we couldn't finish it off. Playing against the old team in the old environment, it was fun. I just wish we could have won."

Jermaine O'Neal had 27 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, while Murphy -- who also got his share of boos -- had just four points and one rebound. Danny Granger added 20 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost nine of 11.

Well before he finally got out of town, Dunleavy came to embody all the empty promise of the Warriors' 12 straight losing teams. Golden State fans seem to hate everything about Dunleavy, from his inconsistent shot and tepid defense to his flouncy hairdos and perceived arrogance.

In fact, Dunleavy probably was booed more regularly than any Warriors player since 1980s center Joe Barry Carroll -- otherwise known as Joe Barely Cares, a moniker that fans felt fit Dunleavy as well, even if most of his teammates disagreed.

"He gave it all here -- played hurt, played hard," Davis said of Dunleavy. "He had great games when he was booed here, so I expected him to have a good game."

After Dunleavy hit a 3-pointer to put Indiana up 97-93, Ellis and Matt Barnes tied it with 2:36 left on consecutive jumpers. Though Ellis wouldn't acknowledge it, he seemed to catch a spark from a flagrant foul committed against him by Tinsley in the third quarter.

"Last year, a lot of times, Monta kept his head down after something like that," said Jackson, who had just nine points on 4-of-15 shooting while battling a flu bug. "If you knocked him down, he wouldn't always get up as fast. Now, you can't keep him down."

Ellis put Golden State ahead 100-98 with a stunning no-look backward layup and a free throw. After Dunleavy missed his free throw, Andris Biedrins -- who spent much of the night on Golden State's bench with a deep thigh bruise -- tipped home Ellis' shot with 17.8 seconds left.

The game ended appropriately, with Warriors fans booing Dunleavy as he missed a meaningless 3-pointer.

The Warriors were four days shy of the one-year anniversary of the trade that rescued them from a 13-year playoff drought. Jackson and Harrington became key parts of the freewheeling core that upset top-seeded Dallas in the first round and got this season's team off to a solid start.

Golden State got leadership, defense and stellar shooting in the deal while also gaining financial flexibility by ditching the onerous contracts held by Dunleavy and Murphy. Since the trade, the Warriors have gone 45-36 and won their biggest playoff series in two decades, while Indiana is 32-51.

Notes

Jackson hit the winning 3-pointer for Indiana in the final second of the Pacers' previous trip to Golden State last season. ... The Warriors will play four Midwest road games in five nights beginning Tuesday at Minnesota. Golden State visits Indiana on Wednesday. ... Davis wore a protective sleeve on his sore left shoulder for the second straight game.

Yahoo!

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Next up...

Golden State at Indiana
Wed Jan 16, 2008, 7:00 pm EST

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Golden State (23-16) at Indiana (17-22)

Former Golden State Warriors forward Mike Dunleavy was booed throughout his first game back in Oakland on Sunday. When Dunleavy's Indiana Pacers host the Warriors, Pacers fans will have a chance to greet Stephen Jackson the same way.

Jackson returns to Indiana as the Warriors go for their fourth straight win Wednesday against the Pacers, who are returning home from a discouraging road trip.

On Jan. 17, the Warriors and Pacers completed a blockbuster trade that sent Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod to Indiana in exchange for Jackson, Al Harrington, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell.

Dunleavy, who was not a fan favorite during his 4 1/2-year tenure with Golden State, returned to Oracle Arena for the first time Sunday. He had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists amid boos and heckling from fans, but the Warriors scored nine of the game's last 12 points to win 106-101.

Dunleavy said the jeers didn't bother him.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he said. "I couldn't care less. It's hard to pay attention and care about something somebody says when you have no respect for them. They can do whatever they want."

Indiana fans will have a chance to return the favor as Jackson makes his second trip back to Conseco Fieldhouse since the trade. He had 36 points to lead the Warriors to a 113-98 victory on Feb. 5 less than three weeks after the move. He was not treated kindly in his return to Indianapolis, where off-court issues often overshadowed any contributions he made on the court.

"I'm not going to lie, it feels good to come back and beat your old team," Jackson said after that game.

Jackson's past legal trouble has continued to plague him while with the Warriors. He was suspended for the first seven games of this season after pleading guilty to a felony count of criminal recklessness for an incident outside an Indiana strip club in the fall of 2006, when he was still playing for the Pacers.

Since returning from that suspension, however, he's sparked the Warriors to a 22-10 record. They were 1-6 without him.

Jackson had 21 points and Baron Davis added 22 on Tuesday as Golden State beat Minnesota 105-98 for its third straight victory.

"It seems like we're hitting a nice little stride with the way the game is going and the way we are playing," said Davis, who's averaging 23.0 points, 11.3 assists and 3.0 steals while shooting 51.0 percent from the field during the win streak.

"We are getting better. You can't ask for more from this team. The resiliency, the fight, to fight back from injuries and a lot of stuff that we've been through. This is a close-knit team."

That's bad news for the Pacers, whose loss at Golden State capped a 1-4 Western Conference road trip on which Indiana allowed 112.6 points per game.

"We were running on fumes this game," Dunleavy said. "Playing these teams -- Phoenix, Sacramento, Golden State -- they really wear on you. I thought we got it together in the end, but we couldn't finish it off.

"We will get another crack at (the Warriors) on Wednesday, and hopefully we can get them back at our place."

NBA - Golden State Warriors/Indiana Pacers Preview Wednesday January 16, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=9 height=18>Team Comparison</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody2 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="18%" height=18> Team</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="10%">Record</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="23%">Standings</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">PF</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="8%">PA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="3%"> </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="16%">Road/Home</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="8%">Streak</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">L10 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Golden State</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>23-16</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>3rd Pacific / 8th West</TD><TD class=yspscores>108.3</TD><TD class=yspscores>106.7</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Road 12-9</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Won 3</TD><TD class=yspscores>6-4 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Indiana</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>17-22</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>3rd Central / 9th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>103.1</TD><TD class=yspscores>104.7</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Home 8-9</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 1</TD><TD class=yspscores>2-8 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- /TEAM COMPARISON --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Golden State Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 16 The Warriors are an impressive 11-0 when holding opponents under 100 points . ... At 23-16, the Warriors are seven games above .500 for the first time since 2005-06 and are the fastest team in NBA history to return to .500 after starting the season 0-6. ... Five players for the Warriors have scored 30 or more points in a game this season - the most in the entire league. ... Golden State improved to 3-0 against in the season series against Minnesota.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width="2%"> </TD><TD width="49%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=5 height=18> Indiana Notes</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jan 14 The Indiana Pacers are 32-51 since the trade of Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell, in exchange for Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu while the Warriors are 45-36 with an upset playoff series win over the Dallas Mavericks. ... Indiana lost four of five games on their West Coast road trip. The Pacers blew a 17-point first half lead and were up 11 points in the third quarter but commit 23 turnovers resulting in 27 points by the Warriors in the loss. ... F Mike Dunleavy and F Troy Murphy made their first appearances since they were traded last season. Dunleavy scored 18 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists while Murphy came off the bench and had four points. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Recap later, but DAMN!

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 width=760><TBODY><TR><TD class=scores-greybg>701</TD><TD class=scores-greybg> </TD><TD class=scores-greybg-left>Golden State</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>29</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>26</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>38</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>24</TD><TD class=scores-greybg-highlight>117</TD><TD class=scores-greybg></TD><TD class=scores-greybg>221</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>55</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>62</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>Summary</TD></TR><TR><TD class=scores-greybg>702</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>4:05 PM</TD><TD class=scores-greybg-left>Indiana</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>18</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>33</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>28</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>46</TD><TD class=scores-greybg-highlight>125</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>FINAL</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>2?</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>51</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>74</TD><TD class=scores-greybg>Boxscore</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Sacramento (16-22) at Indiana (18-22)

The Sacramento Kings are finally healthy, and the results have been positive.

They'll go for their fifth win in seven games when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

Sacramento finished last in the Pacific Division last season, ending its streak of eight consecutive playoff appearances and lowering expectations for 2007-08. Injuries to the Kings' top three scorers from last season didn't help either.

Point guard Mike Bibby missed the first 36 games after undergoing thumb surgery in October. Ron Artest missed seven games because of a suspension and nine more with an elbow injury, and Kevin Martin was sidelined 17 games because of a groin strain.

All three returned this week, however, and the early results have been favorable. The Kings (16-22) have won four of their last six, including victories over Southeast Division-leading Orlando, Western Conference powerhouse Dallas and Central Division-leading Detroit.

Martin, Artest and Bibby combined for 58 points off the bench in Friday night's 100-93 road win over the Pistons.

"For us on the road, beating a team that has the second-best record in the league is a huge win for us," first-year Kings coach Reggie Theus said.

Though the Kings have reason to be optimistic, Theus knows it will take time before everyone becomes familiar with his new system and a new rotation.

"It's a confidence builder for our guys that are just getting back in the mix of things," he said. "We've still got a little ways to go. Mike still has to learn some of the plays and we've got to get Ron back in the mix of stuff."

Artest will be playing at Conseco Fieldhouse for just the second time since he demanded a trade from the Pacers in the middle of the 2005-06 season after a tumultuous four-year tenure with the club. He had 18 points but was just 6-for-22 from the field while getting booed throughout his first visit there - a 98-93 Sacramento loss on March 17, 2006.

"If there was a fight between the fans who loved me or booed me, I think the boos would have won," he said after that game.

Artest missed the Kings' visit to Indianapolis last season for personal reasons.

The Pacers (18-22) reached a season-high in points while erasing a 17-point second-half deficit in their 125-117 win over Golden State on Wednesday. Indiana outscored the Warriors 46-24 in the fourth quarter.

"To score 46 points in a quarter, especially in the decisive quarter, and to win the game - that's probably one of our best quarters this year," said Danny Granger, who led the Pacers with 29.

But while the Kings are finally healthy, the Pacers are dealing with new injuries. Point guard Jamaal Tinsley, averaging 13.4 points and ranking among league leaders with a career-high 8.5 assists per game, missed Wednesday's game because of a sore left knee - the same injury that forced center Jermaine O'Neal out of the game late in the first quarter. Both are day-to-day.

Indiana had seven players score in double figures as it won the first meeting between these teams 111-105 last Saturday. Mike Dunleavy led the Pacers with 23 in that game, while Martin went 7-for-9 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free-throw line for 25 points in his first game back.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=9 height=18>Team Comparison</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody2 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="18%" height=18> Team</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="10%">Record</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="23%">Standings</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">PF</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="8%">PA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="3%"> </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="16%">Road/Home</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="8%">Streak</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">L10 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Sacramento</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>16-22</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>4th Pacific / 11th West</TD><TD class=yspscores>98.9</TD><TD class=yspscores>101.9</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Road 5-13</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Won 1</TD><TD class=yspscores>5-5 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Indiana</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>18-22</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>3rd Central / 9th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>103.6</TD><TD class=yspscores>105.0</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Home 9-9</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Won 1
</TD><TD class=yspscores>3-7</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>



NBA - Sacramento Kings/Indiana Pacers Preview Saturday January 19, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Pacers lose forward Jermaine O'Neal for minimum 2 weeks because of bruised knee.

Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal will miss at least two weeks with a bruised left knee, team officials said Saturday before the Pacers played Sacramento.

A MRI on Thursday afternoon revealed the injury.

Earlier this week, O'Neal said he was not fully healed from knee surgery to repair torn meniscus cartilage last April. He said he was surprised the healing process has been so slow.

O'Neal said he had pain during Wednesday's practice, but he started that night against Golden State. He left the game with 2:58 left in the first quarter after going scoreless and committing four turnovers in the first 9 minutes.

O'Neal spoke with team doctors and trainers, and after a strength test, the decision was made to sit him the rest of the game.

Pacers coach Jim O'Brien wasn't sure the new injury was connected to the surgery.

"I think it's related to the fact that he has hyperextended his knee a couple times this year," he said.

O'Neal is a six-time All-Star who averaged 19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks last season, but including Saturday's game, he has missed 90 games the past 3 1/2 seasons due to injuries, illnesses and suspensions.

"We have some experience in being without Jermaine," O'Brien said. "You hate to see any player go down for an extended period of time, but you just have to deal with it."

O'Neal is averaging 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks this season, but he has missed eight games, many because the knee has been unpredictable.

"I'm in a position where one week it'll be fine and the next week, it'll be really swollen," he said. "When you have fluid in your knee, it tends to affect where your knee moves, and it tends to irritate a lot of things."

O'Neal spoke with Golden State guard Baron Davis about his knee on Wednesday. Davis had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee while playing for New Orleans in January 2003, then had surgery on the same knee to remove debris last February.

"One of his first things was, 'You probably should not play anymore, you probably should just get it totally healthy,"' O'Neal said.

O'Brien said O'Neal's minutes will be split between Jeff Foster, Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu and David Harrison. None of them provide O'Neal's low-post presence on offense or his ability to cover his teammates' mistakes on defense.

"It's tough when you lose your main inside force," guard Kareem Rush said. "He's a guy you look to to get baskets, and to anchor our defense. It's up to other guys to step up and, not try to replace him, so to speak, but to just try to go out there and fill the void and do some positive things."

Point guard Jamaal Tinsley said O'Neal's intangibles are as important as his physical skills.

"He's a guy you know is going to take charges and block shots," Tinsley said. "Just his presence on the court -- it's going to be a big difference."

Pacers lose forward Jermaine O'Neal for minimum 2 weeks because of bruised knee - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Sacramento 110, Indiana 104

Ron Artest enjoyed giving Indiana Pacers fans one more reason to dislike him.

Artest scored 15 points against his former team, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Pacers 110-104 on Saturday night.

Artest still is blamed by many Indiana fans for the brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans in 2004 and the resulting fallout. One fan close to the Kings' bench even yelled, "You ruined our franchise!"

Artest was booed often on Saturday, but got his first win against the Pacers since he requested a trade from Indiana two seasons ago. Ironically, the win came a day after he scored 18 points in a win at Detroit.

"The history of Detroit and the history of Indiana, it just makes you think about things that you've been through," Artest said. "It came across my mind a couple times."

Artest said he has a "special place in his heart" for Indiana.

"I realize that I get emotional, but I'm able to deal with it now," he said. "I just go out there and do what I've got to do. I'm always going to be kind of emotional, but staying levelheaded is very important."

Sacramento coach Reggie Theus was impressed with the way Artest handled what seemed like a cruel scheduling joke.

"It's been an emotional trip for him," he said. "For the most part, nothing fazes Ron -- Ron just plays. Sometimes, those challenges get him going."

Artest shot just 5-for-14 from the field and had six turnovers, but he also had two steals, three assists and three rebounds in 35 minutes. Though his shot selection was questionable at times, the ones he made were clutch.

"He heard the boo-birds, but he's mentally tough," said Mikki Moore, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds. If it does faze him, it's not going to affect the whole game. He'll brush it off and keep going."

Kevin Martin and Beno Udrih each scored 20 points for the Kings. Another former Pacer, Brad Miller, had 11 points and 16 rebounds for Sacramento.

Danny Granger led the Pacers with 26 points, and Kareem Rush tied a season high with 22. Jeff Foster had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Jamaal Tinsley had 13 assists for Indiana.

The Pacers played without forward Jermaine O'Neal, who will miss at least two weeks with a bruised left knee.

"It's not a good thing that Jermaine is out, but now we know at least he's going to be out for a while, so we can move on for the next couple weeks and try to get something going," forward Mike Dunleavy said.

The crowd of 14,015 was Indiana's third-largest of the season. Artest entered the game with 6:29 left in the first quarter. Two minutes later, he made a 3-pointer on his first field goal attempt.

He made a 3-pointer as time expired at the end of the first quarter and pointed to the booing crowd. The shot gave the Kings a 27-22 lead.

The Kings led 63-58 early in the second half before going on a 10-3 run to take a 71-59 advantage. Sacramento led 78-69 at the end of the third quarter.

A 3-pointer, then a short jumper by Artest gave the Kings a 95-80 lead with 5:13 to play.

The Pacers responded with a 15-4 run that included two 3-pointers by Granger and two buckets by Foster to cut the lead to 99-97.

The Pacers trailed 104-99 when Dunleavy made a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left to make it 104-102. The Kings made their free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.

The Pacers lacked the offensive flow that has become one of their strengths this season.

"It's pretty frustrating," Rush said. "Part of it is we've got a lot of guys who have been out because of injury, not getting a lot of practice time in with certain people on the court. This new lineup is different to us. We're still adjusting to it. I think at the end of the day, we could have easily had this win tonight."

Sacramento was disappointed to have let the Pacers back into the game.

"I think we got a little fatigued at the end, but three games in four days, I expect that," Moore said. "We worked through it."

Notes

The Pacers beat the Kings 98-93 last time Artest played in Indianapolis on March 17, 2006. Artest scored 18 points, but shot 6-for-22 from the field, including 2-for-14 in the second half. He missed last year's game in Indianapolis because of personal reasons. ... Pacers F Stephen Graham played for the first time in 17 games and scored a career-high 15 points. ... Indiana C David Harrison missed his fourth game of a five-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy. ... Former Pacers player and assistant coach Chuck Person returned as an assistant for the Kings.

NBA - Sacramento Kings/Indiana Pacers Recap Saturday January 19, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[HugYourStereo]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

hey general.. you think there is any truth behind this?

Report: Pacers, Nets talking trade

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

hey general.. you think there is any truth behind this?




I never say never. Thank you.

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Indiana (18-23) at Philadelphia (16-25)



Jim O'Brien thinks his Indiana Pacers can make a charge to the playoffs during the second half of the season, but the team will be starting that stretch run without one of their most dangerous players.

The Pacers continue adjusting to life without Jermaine O'Neal on Monday when they open a four-game road trip against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Indiana (18-23) announced before Saturday's 110-104 loss to Sacramento that O'Neal would miss at least two weeks with a bruised right knee. O'Neal left Wednesday's win over Golden State with pain in the knee and an MRI the following day revealed the injury.

"It's not a good thing that Jermaine is out, but now we know at least he's going to be out for a while, so we can move on for the next couple weeks and try to get something going," said forward Mike Dunleavy, who leads the Pacers with 17.4 points per game.

O'Neal, a six-time All-Star, is averaging 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. Including Saturday's game, however, he has missed 90 games over the past 3 1/2 seasons due to injuries, illnesses and suspensions.

"We have some experience in being without Jermaine," O'Brien said. "You hate to see any player go down for an extended period of time, but you just have to deal with it."

The Pacers have dropped 10 of their last 13 games and have allowed at least 105 points in seven straight. However, they have scored in triple figures in each of their last five and are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with half of their schedule in the books.

"I like this group of guys, I like their attitude. They worked very, very hard and they're never out of a game," O'Brien said. "I think this team is poised to make a run at the playoffs. I think our team will have a better record in the second half of the season than in the first."

Danny Granger had 26 points and Kareem Rush tied a season high with 22 against the Kings. Forward Stephen Graham played for the first time in 17 games and added a career-high 15 points.

The Pacers have won five of seven against the 76ers (16-25), including a 102-85 home victory on Dec. 19 in the first meeting this season.

Philadelphia has won two of three since a seven-game losing streak, including Saturday's 99-95 victory over Toronto.

Willie Green matched a season high with 23 points, and Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala each added 20 for the 76ers, who won for the second time in six home games. Samuel Dalembert posted his fourth double-double in five games with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

"We're just trying to get better night-in and night-out," coach Maurice Cheeks said. "I like our young guys getting out on the floor, getting the chance to play, getting a chance to get better every night."

O'Brien is returning to Philadelphia for the first time since he was fired as 76ers coach following the 2004-05 season, when he led the team to its last winning record and last playoff berth. Cheeks took over as coach in 2005-06.

"Just get a 'W,' that's all I'm concerned about," O'Brien said of his return.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Philadelphia 76ers Preview Monday January 21, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=yspsctbg><TD class=ysptblhdr colSpan=9 height=18>Team Comparison</TD></TR><TR class=ysptblthbody2 align=right><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="18%" height=18> Team</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="10%">Record</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="23%">Standings</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">PF</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="8%">PA</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="3%"> </TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="16%">Road/Home</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl align=left width="8%">Streak</TD><TD class=yspdetailttl width="6%">L10 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Indiana</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>18-23</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>3rd Central / 9th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>103.6</TD><TD class=yspscores>105.1</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Road 9-13</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Lost 1</TD><TD class=yspscores>3-7 </TD></TR><TR align=right><TD class=yspscores align=left> Philadelphia</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>16-25</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>4th Atlantic / 13th East</TD><TD class=yspscores>93.6</TD><TD class=yspscores>96.5</TD><TD class=yspscores> </TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Home 8-11</TD><TD class=yspscores align=left>Won 1</TD><TD class=yspscores>2-8 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[The General]

Indiana 110, Philadelphia 103

Indiana 110, Philadelphia 103

Not since Jim O'Brien coached in Philadelphia have the 76ers been a legitimate playoff contender.

The rebuilding Sixers are slumping again, losers of eight of their last 10, the latest setback coming against Indiana and the very coach Philly once believed would lead them to the NBA championship.

Kareem Rush scored a season-high 25 points and Mike Dunleavy added 24 to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 110-103 on Monday.

O'Brien won in his first trip to Philadelphia since he was fired after leading the Sixers to the playoffs in 2004-05, his only season as their coach.

"I found out a long time ago that bitterness is for losers," O'Brien said. "I got on with life very, very quickly and enjoyed the best two years of my life."

O'Brien, a Philadelphia native who played for Saint Joseph's, sat at home the last two years and collected the nearly $8 million owed to him by the Sixers. He hoped for another chance in the NBA and got one with the Pacers, who moved into a tie with New Jersey for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

O'Brien downplayed all questions about revenge or gaining satisfaction from sticking another loss on the Sixers -- their eighth in the last 10 games.

"The only thing that changes is that I'm going to be able to see some of my family members," O'Brien said. "I can't generally see them anywhere else but here. That's what's good about coming back to Philadelphia."

Danny Granger had 18 points and Troy Murphy, who left with a sore left knee, added 13. Jamaal Tinsley had 13 assists and Jeff Foster grabbed 10 rebounds for the Pacers.

Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 23 points and Andre Miller had 21. Samuel Dalembert had 13 rebounds.

But it wasn't enough for the Sixers, who flopped at the free-throw line. While Indiana stretched its lead on 14 3-pointers, the Sixers couldn't seriously make a run because it made just 21 of 34 free throws.

Iguodala went 11-for-13 from the line, but Louis Williams was only 2-for-6 and wasted an otherwise steady 14-point effort.

"We knew their offense pretty well," Iguodala said. "It's the same offense coach O'Brien had when he was here."

The Sixers got as close in the fourth as 106-100 on Iguodala's three-point play with 2 minutes left. Iguodala followed with an airball off the break and the Sixers blew their last chance to rally and threaten the Pacers in the final minute.

Rush scored on a layup and Iguodala missed again on a driving layup to seal the win for the Pacers.

Rush went 10-for-18 from the floor overall and hit five 3s.

"I've been really aggressive and have gotten into a streak in these last couple of games," he said. "My teammates have been looking for me and Coach wants me to be aggressive. It's my kind of game. It gets me up and down in the court in a hurry and shooting 3s."

The Pacers went ahead by 15 early in the third when Foster, Rush and Granger all hit long jumpers on three straight possessions.

Much like they did in the first half when the Sixers went on a long run to chip away at the lead, Philadelphia went on an 11-0 spurt late in the third that cut the lead to 76-74. But the Pacers closed on a 14-5 run.

The Sixers used a 16-0 run to pull ahead 37-35 in the second quarter. Murphy hit a 3 to help Indiana regain lead. Rush and Dunleavy hit 3s on consecutive possessions at the end of the half to give the Pacers a 63-49 lead at the break.

"We need to do a better job as starters coming out and starting the game well," Sixers guard Willie Green said. "Once we got in the hole, it was like we were fighting the whole game."

Rush went 4-for-5 from 3-point range and the Pacers made 10 of 17 in the first half.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Philadelphia 76ers Recap Monday January 21, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Indiana (19-23) at Chicago (16-24)

Indiana (19-23) at Chicago (16-24)

The Indiana Pacers don't know if Jermaine O'Neal will be out for the remainder of the season. Fortunately for them, Kareem Rush is picking up the scoring slack.

Rush will try to help Indiana win consecutive games for the first time in nearly a month Wednesday night when it visits the struggling Chicago Bulls.

O'Neal, who averages 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, suffered a bruised left knee in a 125-117 win over Golden State last Wednesday and was originally ruled out for at least two weeks. He underwent surgery on the knee in April to repair torn meniscus cartilage, and acknowledged he may have come back too soon.

Now, missing the rest of the season is a strong possibility.

"I don't know when I'm coming back," said O'Neal, who plans to visit specialists for additional evaluations. "Missing the season is a worst-case scenario."

With O'Neal out the last two games, Rush has taken on more of an offensive role, making 20 of 35 shots and scoring 47 points. He is averaging 16.0 points on 46.9 percent shooting while starting the last six games.

"I've been really aggressive and have gotten into a streak in these last couple of games," said Rush, who averaged 6.5 points as a reserve in his first 33 games this season. "My teammates have been looking for me and Coach (Jim O'Brien) wants me to be aggressive. It's my kind of game. It gets me up and down in the court in a hurry and shooting 3s."

Rush was outstanding Monday, going 10-for-18 from the field - 5-for-8 from 3-point range - for a season-high 25 points as Indiana opened a four-game road trip with a 110-103 win over Philadelphia. The Pacers (19-23) last won back-to-back games during a season high-tying three-game run from Dec. 15-19.

The Pacers hope Rush can continue his strong play and help them take the second of four season meetings with the Bulls (16-24). He had 22 points in the first matchup, a 117-102 home victory on Dec. 12.

Indiana, though, has lost three in a row and eight of its last 10 at Chicago.

The Pacers lead the Eastern Conference with 103.8 points per game, and the Bulls have lost all 17 games when their opponents score 100.

Chicago, which is opening a four-game homestand, is coming off a disappointing performance in a 104-90 loss at lowly Memphis on Monday. The Bulls shot only 36.5 percent in losing for the fourth time in six games.

"We haven't been consistent effort wise, and our record is indicative of that," Bulls interim coach Jim Boylan said. "We can't have just one, two or three guys giving effort. We have to have all five. Even the teams that don't have great records are coming to play."

Ben Gordon, who went 8-for-20 from the field and scored 25 points against the Grizzlies, has been playing well of late, averaging 27.8 points off the bench in the last four games. He leads Chicago with 19.6 points per game.

Gordon is averaging 25.8 points in the last four meetings with Indiana.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Chicago Bulls Preview Wednesday January 23, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Chicago 108, Indiana 95

Kirk Hinrich surveyed the scene and made the call. This was his night to attack, to carry his team, and he delivered in a big way.

Hinrich scored a career-high 38 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers 108-95 on Wednesday night even though their two best players were injured.

"I don't know what to say," Hinrich said. "I felt a responsibility to do that tonight. We just needed a win. There was definitely some desperation for this team."

The Bulls learned earlier in the day that forward Luol Deng would miss one to three weeks because of his recurring left Achilles' tendinitis. Then, they found out that leading scorer Ben Gordon would sit out with a sprained right wrist.

Even so, they had more than enough to beat the Pacers.

Hinrich, who hit 14 of 21 shots, scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and left to a loud ovation with 40 seconds left.

"You know, he took 21 shots; that might be the most he's ever taken in a game," Pacers guard Travis Diener said. "He could have taken 50, the way he was shooting it. I just thought he was more aggressive. He's a great player."

He had help, though.

Andres Nocioni added 24 points, including six during a 17-0 run in the second quarter that snapped a 29-all tie and put the Bulls ahead for good.

Rookie Joakim Noah added 14 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, and Thabo Sefolosha scored 14 points.

Danny Granger did all he could to keep Indiana in the game, scoring a career-high 33 points.

"My teammates were finding me and I was knocking them down, but I'd trade it all for a win," he said.

The Pacers had whittled the lead to 79-77 on a basket by Shawne Williams and two free throws by Mike Dunleavy (10 points) 1:16 into the fourth. But the Bulls went on a 16-6 run that increased their lead to 95-83 with 5:19 left in the game.

Hinrich scored six points during that stretch and delivered a behind-the-back pass in transition to Noah for a dunk that drew a roar from the crowd.

"We got a good win today, but at the same time, we can't get too happy," said Noah, who played the entire fourth quarter. "Right now, we're a team that's trying to get into the playoffs. We want to be there. And in order to do that, we have to be consistent."

They moved within a game of Indiana and idle New Jersey for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after absorbing two big blows before tipoff.

Gordon hurt his wrist during a 104-90 loss at Memphis on Monday and was unable to play against the Pacers. Deng's condition has been bothering him for about a month, and he does not want to rush back.

"We're going to try to be smart about it," he said before the game. "I don't want to come back and have to sit down again. Even if I feel good after one week, I'm really going to try to test it and see how good it feels before I start going again."

Deng, second on the team at 17.9 points per game, missed three games before returning Jan. 13 at Atlanta. The problem flared up again during the fourth quarter against Golden State on Friday, and he sat out the following night against Detroit. He played 26 minutes at Memphis but sat out the fourth quarter because of the pain and the lopsided score.

The Bulls did just fine without Deng and Gordon, outscoring Indiana by 11 in the second quarter while building a 57-43 halftime lead and pulling away in the fourth.

"I had to make plays tonight, without (Gordon) and (Deng)," Hinrich said. "Those guys do a lot of stuff for us, attack for us on offense. I'm confident I can make plays."

Notes

Hinrich had scored 34 twice in his career. ... The Bulls were also without G Chris Duhon, who is out indefinitely with a sprained left knee. ... The Pacers were without injured forwards Troy Murphy and Jermaine O'Neal. Murphy left Monday's game at Philadelphia with a sore left knee. O'Neal missed his third game with a bruised left knee that is expected to keep him out at least two weeks. ... Diener, bothered lately by a sprained right foot, scored 10 points. ... Center David Harrison finished with three points and two rebounds in 9:37 after serving a five-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug program.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Chicago Bulls Recap Wednesday January 23, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Indiana (19-24) at Milwaukee (16-26)

Indiana (19-24) at Milwaukee (16-26)

The Indiana Pacers have been alternating wins and losses, unable to do anything consistently over the past two weeks. The only thing the Milwaukee Bucks have been able to do consistently in that same span is lose.

A pair of struggling teams get together Thursday night in Milwaukee as the up-and-down Pacers visit the Bucks, who are looking to avoid their seventh loss in eight games.

Indiana (19-23) has alternated wins and losses its past seven games, but the one constant for the Pacers has been their porous defense.

Long known as one of the NBA's stingiest teams, they've allowed 105.2 points per game, easily the worst in the Eastern Conference. But the Pacers' lack of defense has been more pronounced their past nine games -- yielding 111.2 per contest while losing six in that span.

Indiana's defense had more problems in its latest defeat, 108-95 to Chicago on Wednesday night. Danny Granger had a career-high 33 points in the loss, but it wasn't enough to give the Pacers their first back-to-back wins since Dec. 17-19.

"My teammates were finding me and I was knocking them down, but I'd trade it all for a win," he said.

Though they give up a lot of points, the Pacers only allow opponents to shoot 44.4 percent from the field, which ranks in the top 10 in the NBA. But Indiana allows opposing teams to attempt more free throws than any other team in the league, and is among the top five teams in turnovers committed at 16.7 per game.

Despite their defensive struggles, the Pacers average a conference-best 103.6 points, and Granger has been a big reason why. The third-year forward is scoring a team-best 17.6 points per game, and has averaged 22.5 points and 6.8 rebounds over his last 10 games.

Milwaukee (16-26) is in last place in the Central Division, and the Bucks have been outscored by an average of 8.6 points in losing six of their last seven -- with all the defeats against opponents with winning records.

They lost to Phoenix for the second time in 11 days in their most recent loss, 114-105 on Tuesday, after allowing 37 points in the fourth quarter and squandering a six-point lead after three.

"We were rolling. We just let it get away, that's all I can say," said Michael Redd, who had a team-high 28 for the Bucks. "I like the way we played tonight. That was a good style for us. If we can continue playing like that, we'll be OK."

Redd is averaging 22.9 points, good for seventh in the league. He may have to shoulder even more of Milwaukee's offensive load if point guard Mo Williams continues to be sidelined.

Williams -- Milwaukee's second-leading scorer at 17.0 points per game -- sat out Tuesday's game with a sprained left pinkie. He'll test the finger before this game, but it's unclear if he'll play.

This is the first meeting between Milwaukee and Indiana this season. The Pacers swept the Bucks in four meetings in 2006-07, though each game was decided by seven or fewer points.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Milwaukee Bucks Preview Thursday January 24, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Re: NBA Betting: Indiana Pacers News & Notes for 2007/2008

Milwaukee 104, Indiana 92


Michael Redd has not had a lot of fourth-quarter shots in the past few games, so he sat down with Milwaukee Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak and devised a new plan before Thursday night's game against Indiana.

The meeting paid immediate dividends as Redd scored 37 points, leading the up-tempo Bucks to a 104-92 victory over the Pacers.

"Let me play, let me go, let me loose," was the way Redd described the result of the meeting. "Just go play. No thinking. Play basketball."

Redd took only three shots in the fourth quarter in Milwaukee's loss to Phoenix Tuesday night, and four second-half shots in Saturday night's loss to Golden State.

Instead of Redd being the focal point, the Bucks offense went through center Andrew Bogut the past few games.

After his pregame meeting with Krystkowiak, Redd was back as the centerpiece of Milwaukee's offense and made 13-of-29 shots. He had five rebounds and five assists without a turnover, scoring 10 in the fourth quarter.

He played every minute of the second half and 45 overall as the Bucks won for only the second time in eight games.

"That might be the way we have to play the rest of the year, fast, up-tempo, keep pushing it, within sense," he said. "It was different tonight. It wasn't so much slow. Just playing in transition."

Mike Dunleavy scored 22 points and Danny Granger added 20 for Indiana, which has lost three of four since star forward Jermaine O'Neal went out with a bruised left knee injury. He's expected to be out at least two weeks.

Milwaukee took charge late in the third quarter, using a 21-6 run to open a safe lead Indiana never threatened. The Pacers missed nine consecutive shots to end the third and open the fourth quarter, allowing the Bucks to pull away.

"They just picked us apart during the fourth," Dunleavy said.

Redd hit a 3-pointer and Bogut, who had 17 points and seven rebounds, followed with a dunk to give the Bucks a 93-82 lead with 5:06 left.

Yahoo! Sports - Sports News, Scores, Rumors, Fantasy Games, and more

 

[The General]

Indiana (19-25) at Miami (8-34)

Indiana (19-25) at Miami (8-34)

Injuries haven't helped Jermaine O'Neal's All-Star candidacy, or the Indiana Pacers' playoff chances. Dwyane Wade's All-Star prospects were never in doubt, but the Miami Heat's postseason hopes are essentially over.

With O'Neal still sidelined, the Pacers look to end their slump Saturday when they continue their season series against Wade and a Heat team that has lost 15 straight games.

O'Neal has missed four straight contests with a bruised left knee, and Indiana (19-25) has lost three of them. He is expected to be out at least two weeks.

The 6-foot-11 veteran has made six straight All-Star appearances, but that streak is in danger of ending this year. The starting forwards for the Eastern Conference are Boston's Kevin Garnett and Cleveland's LeBron James, and plenty of quality players at that position means O'Neal could be passed over when reserves are announced Thursday.

O'Neal has been Indiana's top scorer in recent years, but forward Danny Granger now leads the team with 17.6 points per game. O'Neal, averaging 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, also has missed 11 games due to what he acknowledged could be residual pain from offseason knee surgery.

Indiana, in a tight race for the eighth playoff spot in the East, could certainly use a healthy O'Neal. The Pacers have lost two straight and 12 of 16.

Indiana also was without starting point guard Jamaal Tinsley in a 104-92 loss to Milwaukee on Thursday night. Tinsley is day-to-day with a sore knee.

Travis Diener started in Tinsley's place, finishing with 15 points and nine assists with one turnover in a career-high 40 minutes.

"Travis does a good job when he's in there whether he's playing 10 minutes or 40 minutes," Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy said. "He knows how to play and pushes the ball to get guys involved. He's capable of taking over the reins when we need him to."

Wade, meanwhile, was sidelined because of knee rehab at the start of the season, but will start at the All-Star game on Feb. 17 thanks to 1,608,260 fan votes, easily the most among East guards. It will be Wade's fourth straight appearance.

Miami (8-33) has lost 15 in a row, the second-longest skid in franchise history and two shy of the team record, but Wade's numbers still rank among the league's best. He's averaging 25.0 points, 6.8 assists and 2.0 steals a contest.

That production, however, hasn't stopped the Heat from falling to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, two years after winning an NBA championship. Heat coach Pat Riley was happy to see the fans still recognize Wade's outstanding play.

"His injuries and our record this year, that doesn't have anything to do with those things," Riley said. "The fact that he's been playing hurt and has been playing the way he's been playing all year, he's right there with the elite players. The record doesn't deter that."

Wade had 27 points and nine assists against San Antonio on Thursday night, but lost the ball while driving for what could have been the winning basket with 3 seconds left in a 90-89 Miami loss.

The Heat again were without center Shaquille O'Neal, who has missed nine of the last 13 games and is expected to miss at least another 10 days while nursing hip and leg injuries. O'Neal, who has been selected to 14 consecutive All-Star teams - tying the record held by Karl Malone and Jerry West - finished second to Orlando's Dwight Howard in this season's balloting among centers. He could still make the team as a reserve.

O'Neal was held to averages of 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in Miami's two games against Indiana this season, with the Heat losing both.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Miami Heat Preview Saturday January 26, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

 

[The General]

Miami 98, Indiana 96

Miami 98, Indiana 96

A joyous Pat Riley walked into the Miami Heat locker room, one of his patented inspirational postgame speeches at the ready.

His team never gave him a chance. And really, nothing needed to be said. The scoreboard told the story.

Dwyane Wade scored 35 points, Mark Blount added 10 of his 19 in the pivotal fourth quarter, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 98-96 on Saturday to snap a 15-game skid -- the longest in the NBA this season and the second-longest in franchise history.

"You don't like to be part of that every day," Riley said. "So they're just happy this thing is over with."

The scene at the final buzzer was championship-caliber.

Indiana's final play started with 5.8 seconds left, when Wade knocked the inbounds pass into the backcourt. Andre Owens picked up the ball, got just over halfcourt and released a desperation toss that wasn't close.

And with that, Heat relief.

Dorell Wright threw the ball in the air -- just like Wade did from almost the same spot on the court when the Heat won the NBA title in Dallas June 20, 2006.

So what if Miami only improved to 9-33, the worst record in the East?

For the first time since Dec. 22, the Heat could leave a game happy.

"To tell you the truth, it feels like we won a championship," Wright said. "Been a long time, know what I mean? It's a good feeling and I'm just happy it's over."

Wright had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Udonis Haslem scored 12 points, and Earl Barron added 10 for Miami, which got eight assists and a career-high six steals from Jason Williams.

Mike Dunleavy scored 25 points for Indiana, which has lost 13 of its last 17 games. Andre Owens and Danny Granger each scored 13 and Kareem Rush scored 12 for the Pacers, who led by nine with 4:05 left in the third but couldn't finish Miami off.

"It just seems like we really shoot ourselves in the foot sometimes," Dunleavy said.

This might count as one of those times.

Oh, but the Pacers made it more than interesting down the stretch.

Miami was up 94-85 on Wade's 3-pointer with 4:36 left, before Indiana went on a 9-2 run over the next 3 1/2 minutes, a burst capped by Rush's 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining that drew the Pacers within 96-94.

They got no closer.

Rush missed an open 3 from the top of the key, but Indiana retained possession when Troy Murphy threw the ball off Haslem on the way out of bounds. Wade, though, tapped the inbounds pass away to start the clock, and with that, the streak ended.

"This had to be the game," Wade said.

It didn't like it would be in the early going.

The Pacers were woeful from the floor in the opening minutes -- missing 14 of their first 18 shots -- but Dunleavy did plenty to make sure Miami didn't open an early lead. He scored 16 of Indiana's first 19 points, including 14 straight over a 5 1/2 -minute stretch, and the Pacers had a three-point edge early.

Miami trailed by as many as 11 in the second quarter after Shawne Williams' 3-pointer with 9:16 left, and trailed 57-48 at intermission.

A bad omen, for certain: Miami entered 2-19 when trailing at halftime, with the biggest deficit successfully overcome by the Heat at a game's midpoint this year being a six-point hole against lowly Minnesota on Dec. 17.

Not anymore.

Wade scored the final nine points in an 11-0 Miami run that put the Heat up 73-71 later in the third, and the teams entered the fourth knotted at 77.

"The difference was the third quarter," Indiana coach Jim O'Brien said. "We played very poor defense."

Blount scored the first two baskets of the final quarter, Wright added a jumper with 9:53 left to put Miami up by six, and the Heat kept the lead the rest of the way.

So the plan that was hatched before the game in a walkthrough practice was put into action. And when Riley entered the locker room, the team leaped from its seats and wrapped arms in a group hug.

"We'd heard all the speeches, so we said bring it in," Wright said. "He thought that was pretty funny."

After more than a month of losing, Riley probably needed a good laugh.

Notes

The Pacers were again without injured Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley. For Miami, Daequan Cook returned after missing Thursday's game with tonsillitis. ... Wade and Travis Diener, the former Marquette teammates, chatted in front of Miami's bench at halftime. ... Heat guard Chris Quinn -- listed at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds -- took an offensive foul against Indiana's 6-foot-11, 250-pound Jeff Foster to stop a 5-on-2 Pacers break in the second quarter. ... Oddest moment of the day: To celebrate Heat mascot Burnie's birthday, other noted South Florida mascots appeared, including "TD" of the Miami Dolphins. He was booed.

NBA - Indiana Pacers/Miami Heat Recap Saturday January 26, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports