| PACERS | vs. | KINGS |
 T.J. Ford |
Point Guard |
 T. Evans |
 B. Rush |
Shooting Guard |
 D. Greene |
 D. Granger |
Small Forward |
 A. Nocioni |
 T. Murphy |
Power Forward |
 J. Thompson |
 J. Foster |
Center |  K. Thomas |
 M. Dunleavy |
Sixth Man |
 B. Udrih |
 J. O'Brien |
Coach |  P. Westphal |
By Conrad Brunner | Dec. 1, 2009
The inconsistencies of youth and a struggling team could lead to lineup changes for the Pacers.
With second-year players Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush both battling slumps, Coach Jim O'Brien is pondering his rotation as the Pacers head into the second of a four-game road trip Wednesday in Sacramento against the Kings.
"Ultimately, you earn your minutes; you earn them by producing and it becomes pretty apparent through statistical analysis whether or not an individual is producing or a combination of individuals are producing," O'Brien told The Indianapolis Star.
"When you're (6-9), and as a staff you don't feel like you're playing with a flow offensively, you have to look at things. We're searching right now. Hopefully we'll come off this trip and decide whether or not we have a solid rotation."
O'Brien's first change came in Monday's 126-107 loss to Golden State, when he started veteran Jeff Foster in place of Hibbert. Foster had nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 24 minutes. Hibbert had five fouls in 11 minutes.
"(Hibbert) has got to find a way to be a shot-blocker and when we call his number down in the low post he's got to put the ball in the basket," said O'Brien. "He's a very good low-post player and he needs to finish the plays down low."
Hibbert has averaged 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.67 blocked shots and .412 shooting in the last six games. Rush has been similarly inconsistent and was scoreless in 16 minutes against the Warriors. Dahntay Jones started the second half in his place at shooting guard and Rush did not return to the game until the final 2½ minutes, when the outcome was decided.
The Kings (8-8) have won three in a row, including a 112-96 rout of the Hornets on Monday. They're 7-2 at home and were 8-5 in November despite the loss of leading scorer Kevin Martin (30.6), who's out at least another month after wrist surgery.
Sacramento has scored at least 100 points in 12 of the last 13 games and ranks fifth in the league with a 104.6 average. In the last two games, the Kings have enjoyed a 108-31 advantage in bench scoring.
TRENDS
Earl Watson has shot 9-of-33 overall (.273) and 1-of-16 from the 3-point line in the last seven. … Dahntay Jones broke out of a brief slump with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting against the Warriors. … T.J. Ford has averaged 13.3 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds and shot 20-of-37 (.541) in the last four games but has yet to make a 3-pointer (0-of-12) this season. … Mike Dunleavy has totaled 35 points in 39 minutes in his first two games of the season. … Danny Granger has shot 35-of-95 overall (.368) and 15-of-44 from the 3-point line (.341) in the last five. … In their six victories, the Pacers have averaged 17.7 attempts and hit .358 from the 3-point line; in their nine losses, they've averaged 22.1 attempts and hit .281. … The Pacers, who were up 13 in the third period against the Warriors, surrendered a double-digit second-half lead for the third time in seven games. … The defense has yielded 110.4 points and .489 shooting in losses, compared to 88.2 points and .391 shooting in wins.KEY MATCHUP
The Pacers like to go small but that will be tough against a Kings lineup that starts with 6-6 point guard Tyreke Evans and gets progressively bigger. Evans is one of two players in the NBA averaging at least 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists (LeBron James is the other) and has given the Kings a huge spark in the absence of key perimeter players Martin and Francisco Garcia. The Pacers have small but quick point guards in Ford and Watson and face a challenge in determining how to match up against Evans and the Kings.INJURIES
Pacers - Tyler Hansbrough (bruised knee) is day-to-day; Travis Diener (toe surgery) is out.Kings - Spencer Hawes (knee) is questionable; Martin (wrist) and Garcia (forearm) are out.
