| PACERS | vs. | JAZZ |
 T.J. Ford |
Point Guard |
 D. Williams |
 D. Jones |
Shooting Guard |
 W. Matthews |
 D. Granger |
Small Forward |
 R. Brewer |
 T. Murphy |
Power Forward |
 C. Boozer |
 R. Hibbert |
Center |  M. Okur |
 M. Dunleavy |
Sixth Man |
 A. Kirilenko |
 J. O'Brien |
Coach |  J. Sloan |
By Conrad Brunner | Dec. 3, 2009
Dahntay Jones is in. Brandon Rush is out.
Roy Hibbert is in but Jeff Foster isn't exactly out.
Coach Jim O'Brien has settled on a new starting lineup and a nine-man rotation in hopes of stabilizing the players' roles and strengthening team chemistry. The first returns were mixed as the team played with high energy but struggled with lax defense and mistake-prone offense in a 110-105 loss Wednesday in Sacramento.
The Pacers (6-10) have lost three in a row and seven of their last eight heading into Friday's game with Utah (10-7), which has won three straight and six of seven and is well-rested, not having played since routing Memphis 120-93 on Monday.
With Jones in the starting lineup, the Pacers have gone 6-4, continuing a trend that started last season in Denver, when the Nuggets were 48-23 with Jones in the lineup, 6-5 without him. The past two seasons, Jones' teams have gone 54-27 (.667) in his starts and 6-11 (.353) otherwise.
A role-player in the Denver offense, Jones has emerged as a primary scoring option with the Pacers, averaging 18.4 points on .482 shooting along with 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists as a starter.
Hibbert had seven points and seven rebounds against the Kings but struggled defensively against Sacramento big men Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson, both effective perimeter shooters. Foster came off the bench with a big night, tying his career high with 18 rebounds while playing 27 minutes to Hibbert's 16.
O'Brien said the four primary reserves would be Earl Watson at the point, Mike Dunleavy at both wing spots, Tyler Hansbrough at power forward and Foster. Despite starting the first 15 games, Rush is not in the nine-man rotation.
Utah is playing its sixth consecutive game at home and has been on a roll of late, averaging 59 points on 64 percent shooting in the first halves of the last three games and winning those by an average of 20.7. The Jazz have won three in a row from the Pacers.
TRENDS
Dunleavy has averaged 19.7 minutes and 13.7 points on 14-of-28 shooting (.500) in his first three games of the season. … Foster tied his career-high of 18 rebounds for the eighth time Wednesday. … The Pacers are 1-4 when Danny Granger scores at least 30 points. … Granger has averaged 27.8 points while shooting .436 from the 3-point line but just .356 inside the arc in the last four games. … The Pacers are 1-7 with Troy Murphy in the starting lineup.KEY MATCHUP
After struggling to deal with the perimeter shooting of Kings big men Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson, the Pacers face an even bigger challenge in Mehmet Okur. In two games against them last year, Okur averaged 33.5 points (including his career high of 43) and shot 22-of-34 (.647) from the field and 19-of-20 (.950) from the free-throw line. Okur isn't just a face-up shooter. He also is effective on the drive if defenders close out too aggressively and must be guarded carefully.INJURIES
Pacers - Josh McRoberts (sore toe) is day-to-day; Travis Diener (toe surgery) is out.Jazz - Kyle Korver (knee) is a game-time decision; Ronnie Price (sprained toe) is doubtful; Matt Harpring (ankle, knee) is out.
