| PACERS | vs. | BOBCATS |
 T.J. Ford |
Point Guard |
 R. Felton |
 B. Rush |
Shooting Guard |
 S. Jackson |
 D. Jones |
Small Forward |
 G. Wallace |
 D. Granger |
Power Forward |
 B. Diaw |
 R. Hibbert |
Center |  T. Chandler |
 T. Murphy |
Sixth Man |
 F. Murray |
 J. O'Brien |
Coach |  L. Brown |
By Conrad Brunner | Nov. 21, 2009
Troy Murphy returned Friday night from a seven-game absence due to a bruised back to play 24 minutes and log a double-double.
Jeff Foster is expected to be available Sunday in Charlotte (5 p.m., WIBC 93.1-FM, no television) after missing all but two games with a high ankle sprain.
And Mike Dunleavy, rehabbing from major knee surgery in March, could be back sometime next week.
All of which is good news for the Pacers but nevertheless means the team will have to make significant adjustments to rotations and playing time on the fly.
"We'd like to hit the ground running with everybody but I don't know if that's the way it's going to be," said Danny Granger. "It might take some time to get everybody acclimated. Mike hasn't played in a year-and-a-half. Murph's been gone, Jeff's been out since the season started. But all those guys are veterans so it should be pretty easy."
Getting Murphy and Dunleavy back is potentially a huge plus for a struggling offense. In the last two games, both losses, the Pacers were outscored 95-68 in the second half, shot 21-of-74 (.283) from the floor and blew double-digit leads. In the fourth quarters, they shot 8-of-35 (.229) and were outscored 62-30.
Two of the league's best 3-point shooters should solve the spacing problem that has resulted in stagnation. One of the league's top 3-point shooting teams the past two seasons, the Pacers rank 21st in the league at 32.4 percent.
"Our offense has suffered with these guys out," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "It might take us a little bit of time to get back into the flow of being able to use those guys but it is a huge advantage to somebody like Danny Granger, it's a huge advantage to our point guards, it's a huge advantage to Roy Hibbert. …
"Hopefully, we'll be able to put lineups out there that are a little bit more challenging to guard than our lineups offensively in the past couple of weeks."
Murphy was used as a reserve in Friday's loss to Cleveland and could remain with the second unit against a Charlotte team that employs a small lineup with Boris Diaw at power forward.
"Murph's going to play a lot of minutes for us, period," said O'Brien. "After being gone for a couple of weeks, he's not in his normal game shape. When he gets back to 100 percent that'll work itself out. I know this: we need Troy Murphy on the basketball court. That's the bottom line."
The Bobcats (3-9) have lost seven in a row and rank last in the NBA in scoring (82.4) and field-goal percentage (.394). Recently acquired Stephen Jackson has moved right into the starting lineup and led Charlotte with a 20.3 scoring average in three games.
Trends
In the last two games, Granger has totaled 44 points on 16-of-22 shooting (.727) in the first half but just eight points on 3-of-17 shooting (.176) in the second. For the season, Granger ranks third in the NBA in first-half scoring at 15.9 but his average dips to 8.9 in the second. … Dahntay Jones has averaged 21 points on .509 shooting in the last four. … The Pacers are 3-1 when Brandon Rush scores in double figures, 2-4 when he does not. … Earl Watson has gone 0-of-9 from the field including 0-of-6 from the arc in the last two. … In four games with Murphy, their leading rebounder, the Pacers have been outrebounded 183-164. In six games he missed, they outrebounded opponents 284-270.Matchup to watch
It may not mean that much to the outcome but this being Tyler Hansbrough's first NBA game in North Carolina will mean the media spotlight will be on the Pacers' rookie who is averaging 16.9 minutes, 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in his first six games.Injuries
Pacers - Mike Dunleavy (knee) and Travis Diener (toe) are out.Bobcats - Tyson Chandler (back) and Boris Diaw (back) are probable.
