| ||
 |
vs. |  |
 Tinsley |
Point Guard |
 Nash |
 Dunleavy |
Shooting Guard |
 Bell |
 Granger |
Small Forward |
 Hill |
 ONeal |
Power Forward |
 Marion |
 Murphy |
Center |  Stoudemire |
 Daniels |
Sixth Man |
 Barbosa |
 O'Brien |
Coach |  D'Antoni |
Numbers not adding up for Pacers
At Phoenix | Jan. 9, 2008
Tonight, 9 p.m. US Airways Center TV: FSN-Indiana Radio: WFNI 1070-AM |
The Pacers (16-20) have lost six in a row on the road and seven of eight overall heading into tonight's game.
"We are going through a tough stretch right now," said Mike Dunleavy. "Guys have got to persevere and somehow try and find a way to improve. There are a lot of areas for us to improve in, and we just have to improve our current situation. We have to stick this out and get through it. Its a long season."
With the team in a collective offensive slump, the return of Jamaal Tinsley could provide a lift. Tinsley missed five games with a strained hamstring but the starting point guard returned to the lineup Tuesday in Utah. Though the Pacers lost 111-89 as Tinsley committed six of the team's 26 turnovers, the Pacers do have their lineup intact.
It felt good (to be back in uniform)," Tinsley said. "We just struggled a lot and turned the ball over. We just came out and played bad tonight. I played (Tuesday), struggled, and hopefully I have a better game (tonight). Hope we all have a better game tomorrow.
The Pacers could use a resurgence from star forward Jermaine O'Neal, who fell into a slump in Tinsley's absence, averaging 9.3 points on 17-of-45 shooting (.378) in the last four games.
"He's getting an unbelievable amount of attention," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "They realize Jermaine is the one guy that can go one-on-one at a very high level against his man and they're doing everything in their power to prevent him from doing that."
The Suns (24-10) bombed in 20 from the 3-point line in a 137-115 drubbing of Denver Monday, their fifth win in six games. They lead the Western Conference by one-half game over San Antonio, and have won the last five meetings with the Pacers, including a 121-117 decision on Dec. 4 in Conseco Fieldhouse.
KEY TO THE GAME
As much as Steve Nash controls the pace of a game offensively, it was Amare Stoudemire who dominated the Pacers last time out with 40 points and 13 rebounds and hitting 12-of-13 from the free-throw line. Though few players have the size and athleticism to defend Stoudemire, the Pacers must attack the lane offensively to both take advantage of Phoenix's relative lack of interior defenders and hope to create foul trouble.
TRENDS
The Pacers have lost the last three games in Phoenix by an average of 26 points with the Suns scoring an average of 116. Kareem Rush has shot 17-of-44 (.386) overall and 5-of-18 (.278) from the 3-point line in the last four. Andre Owens is shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line on the season (15-of-30) but just 22 percent inside the arc (9-of-41). Jermaine O'Neal has averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 17-of-45 (.378) in the last four. Troy Murphy has averaged 4.3 points on 4-of-20 (.200) shooting in the last three. In 2 minutes, 37 seconds of playing time in Utah Tuesday, David Harrison committed four fouls and three turnovers and the Pacers were outscored by 10 points. Danny Granger has been whistled for nine fouls in the last two games, totaling 47 minutes, 31 points and 13 rebounds. Ike Diogu has shot 11-of-37 (.297) while averaging 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in the last nine. Marquis Daniels has shot 22-of-60 (.367) overall and 1-of-11 (.091) from the arc in his last nine. The Pacers have committed 48 turnovers in two games on the trip and averaged 19.1 in the last eight. The offense has averaged 94.9 points on .422 shooting in the last nine.
SERIES
The Suns scored the last eight points of the game, six from Nash, to steal a 121-117 victory on Dec. 4 in Conseco Fieldhouse, wasting a 30-point effort from Jermaine O'Neal. Nash finished with 18 points and 17 assists and Stoudemire was dominant with 40 points. That was Phoenix's fifth consecutive victory in the series, which the Suns lead 37-30 overall and 23-10 at home.
INJURIES
Pacers - G Jamaal Tinsley (sore left thigh) and F-C Jermaine O'Neal (sore left knee) are day-to-day.
Suns - None reported.
