| PACERS | vs. | MAVERICKS |
 T.J. Ford |
Point Guard |
 J. Kidd |
 B. Rush |
Shooting Guard |
 R. Beaubois |
 D. Jones |
Small Forward |
 S. Marion |
 T. Murphy |
Power Forward |
 D. Nowitzki |
 R. Hibbert |
Center |  D. Gooden |
 L. Head |
Sixth Man |
 J. Terry |
 J. O'Brien |
Coach |  R. Carlisle |
By Conrad Brunner | Nov. 27, 2009
Mike Dunleavy and Danny Granger both will return for tonight's game against Dallas in Conseco Fieldhouse (8 p.m., Fox Sports Indiana, 1070 The Fan).
Dunleavy, of course, had a bit longer to wait. He hasn't played since Feb. 8 of last season when he re-injured his right knee. Ten months, one major operation, one minor setback just prior training camp and countless hours of rehab later, Dunleavy will put on the uniform again.
"Mike is going to be available to us tonight," said Coach Jim O'Brien after Friday morning's shootaround. "I'm sure it is (a big moment for Dunleavy). It's been weighing on his mind for a long time and I think his anxiety will be lowered once he gets out on the basketball court in game situations."
O'Brien said he didn't plan to play Dunleavy more than 20 minutes.
Granger only missed one game, sitting out Wednesday's 86-73 victory over the Clippers with a knee sprain. He injured the knee Tuesday in Toronto when defender Hedo Turkoglu stepped on his foot while he was turning the corner on a drive.
"When I turned, he stepped on my foot and my leg bowed out," Granger said. "I felt it pull and then we were shooting free throws and I was at the line like, 'Oh, man.' I kept playing while I was warm, kept playing, kept playing and I made it through the game. After the game I told (trainer) Josh (Corbeil) I did it and I told him (Wednesday) I know how it's going to feel already. And sure enough, when I woke up – I couldn't even sleep, actually.
Granger said he "should be fine," for tonight's game but will "definitely be fine" by the time the team opens a four-game Western Conference road trip Monday at Golden State.
Dunleavy's return, even on a limited basis, will help an offense that has struggled for rhythm.
"What he does, not only does he move but he's so effective at moving it gets everybody else moving because players can see you don't have to move at full speed but you have to move with an agenda," said O'Brien. "And Michael reads defenses very well. I think his constant movement gets everybody in the flow. His ability to space the court is very important.
"When we have a team of Murph (Troy Murphy), Danny (Granger) and Mike Dunleavy out on the court, you're talking about guys that are 40 percent-plus over the past couple of years at the 3-point line. That opens up things for T.J. (Ford), it opens up things for Dahntay (Jones), it opens up things for Roy Hibbert inside. So he's a very key element to what we're trying to put out on the basketball court and the sooner he gets back – we'll keep our fingers crossed and hold our breath from the standpoint of him being able to sustain health."
The Pacers have lost three in a row and seven of eight to the Mavericks but last season's games were close, with Dallas winning by a combined total of five points. The Mavs (11-4) bounced back from a frustrating 111-103 loss to the undermanned Warriors Tuesday with a 130-99 rout of Houston Wednesday, their biggest victory margin of the season.
Trends
Brandon Rush had his second double-double of the season (13 points, 11 rebounds) against the Clippers and has averaged 11.8 points while shooting .444 from the 3-point line in the last four. … Troy Murphy (18 points, 11 rebounds) had his fourth double-double of the season. … Dahntay Jones has averaged 18.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists in nine starts and the Pacers have gone 6-3. … Roy Hibbert has averaged 5.8 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 10-of-26 (.385) in the last four. … T.J. Ford has averaged 11.8 points on 19-of-33 shooting (.576) in the last four. … With seven assists against Houston, Mavs point guard Jason Kidd moved past Mark Jackson into second place on the all-time list with 10,337.Matchup to watch
With Erick Dampier out due to illness, the Mavericks start Drew Gooden with Dirk Nowitzki up front, giving them two big men highly effective when facing the basket. O'Brien could either choose to start Foster as a defensive matchup or stick with Roy Hibbert in hopes of exploiting the 7-2 center's size advantage inside.Injuries
Pacers - Travis Diener (toe) is out; Danny Granger (knee) is a game time decision.Mavericks - Erick Dampier (ill) and Josh Howard (ankle) are out.
