| ||
| PACERS | vs. | WIZARDS |
 J. Tinsley |
Point Guard |
 G. Arenas |
 M. Dunleavy |
Shooting Guard |
 D. Stevenson |
 D. Granger |
Small Forward |
 C. Butler |
 J. O'Neal |
Power Forward |
 A. Jamison |
 T. Murphy |
Center |  B. Haywood |
 S. Williams |
Sixth Man |
 D. Songaila |
 J. O'Brien |
Coach |  E. Jordan |
Daniels’ health becoming an issue
By Conrad Brunner | Nov. 14, 2007
Tonight 7 p.m., Road TV: FSN-Indiana Radio: WIBC 1070-AM |
Coincidence?
The Pacers certainly hope so.
Daniels has missed two of the last three games, including Tuesday’s 101-86 loss to Boston, but may play tonight against the Wizards in Washington. Though the pain in his left knee is not believed to be related to the injury that sidelined him most of the final two months of 2006-07, when the team slid out of playoff contention, it has nonetheless a reason for early concern.
“I have made no bones about how important he is to our basketball team,” said Coach Jim O’Brien. “He does a number of things well. He's a good scorer, he's a veteran, he understands defense, he has magnificent hands from the standpoint of getting his hands on the ball when he's on defense. Guys enjoy playing with him. Any time you're without a veteran, as the Pacers saw last year for an extended period of time of not having Marquis, that hurts you. But you have to carry on. There's no other choice.”
Indiana (3-4) carries a four-game losing streak into Washington but the Wizards (1-5) are likewise struggling. Their two top offensive threats, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, both are shooting 36 percent from the field. Arenas, in fact, is just 5-of-36 from the 3-point line – but one of those forced overtime on opening night, though the Pacers recovered to win 119-110.
The Pacers’ top offensive threat, Jermaine O’Neal, also has struggled to get untracked. He’s shooting just 38.7 percent for the season and averaging 13.2 points. He’s one of five Indiana regulars shooting less than 40 percent (along with Troy Murphy, Jamaal Tinsley, Daniels and Travis Diener).
O’Brien said he has been cautious with Daniels in order to help preserve him for the long haul. For the time being, it seems unlikely Daniels will be able to play in both games of back-to-back situations.
“He could've played (Tuesday night) but we just decided he might end up being more of a factor (tonight) because of the tempo we want to create and the type of defensive matchups we want to have on Arenas,” O’Brien said. “So, if we had to choose between one game or another, we chose the second night. But it is frustrating for Marquis, it's frustrating for everybody involved that he's still having this irritation under his (kneecap). Our medical people are trying to get their hands around it. Hopefully, sometime in the near future this will be behind us.”
TRENDS
Travis Diener is shooting 9-of-33 overall (.273) and 4-of-22 from the 3-point line (.182). … In three wins, Mike Dunleavy averaged 22.3 points and 17.0 field goal attempts. In four losses, Dunleavy averaged 12.5 points and 11.3 field goal attempts. … Danny Granger was a career-best 5-of-5 from the 3-point line against Boston, snapping an 0-of-13 slump from the arc. … Troy Murphy missed all seven of his shots against the Celtics. … The Pacers have shot just .295 from the arc in the last five games. … The offense averaged 109 points in winning the first three but 92 in losing the last four. … In the losing streak, the Pacers have been outscored 117-65 from the free-throw line, 211-150 in the second half and 320-248 by the opposing starters.
SERIES
The Pacers beat the Wizards 119-110 in overtime on opening night in Conseco Fieldhouse as Mike Dunleavy (25 points, 12 rebounds) and Danny Granger (20 points, 13 rebounds) had double-doubles. Gilbert Arenas hit a 3-pointer as time expired in regulation to force overtime but the Pacers dominated the extra period. Indiana leads the overall series 73-63 but is 27-41 on the road.
INJURIES
Pacers - G-F Marquis Daniels (sore left knee) and F-C Troy Murphy (sore left Achilles tendon) are day-to-day; F Ike Diogu (left calf strain) is out.
Wizards - F-C Oleksiy Pecherov (fractured right akle) and C Etan Thomas (heart surgery) are out.
