| PACERS | vs. | GRIZZLIES |
 T.J. Ford |
Point Guard |
 Mike Conley |
 Mike Dunleavy |
Shooting Guard |
 O.J. Mayo |
 Brandon Rush |
Small Forward |
 Rudy Gay |
 Troy Murphy |
Power Forward |
 Zach Randolph |
 Roy Hibbert |
Center |  Marc Gasol |
 Tyler Hansbrough |
Sixth Man |
 Sam Young |
 Jim O'Brien |
Coach |  Lionel Hollins |
By Conrad Brunner | Dec. 17, 2009
In winning three of four, the Pacers have started to look like, well, the Pacers again.
The tempo has picked up and so has the productivity heading into Memphis Friday (8 p.m., Fox Sports Indiana, 1070 The Fan) as the Pacers open a stretch of four games in five nights. In those four games, the Pacers averaged 105 points (up from their season average of 98.2), shot 46 percent (up from 43.5 percent) overall and 43.2 percent (up from 32.1 percent) from the 3-point line.
"The last (few) games we're more like the offensive team we planned for," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "A lot has to do with the fact that Mike Dunleavy is back in the lineup and we get tremendous flow when he's on the court. He and Murph (Troy Murphy) are really shooting the ball well.
"We have an attack mentality and when we can't fast-break we're doing a good job of moving the defenses. The more our guys get a chance to play together as we get healthier, the better our offense will be."
The ball movement is evident in the assist statistics. The Pacers have averaged 25.5 assists in the last four games, more than five above their season average. They've assisted on 65 percent of their baskets in that span, up from 56 percent for the season.
So are they finally establishing their identity, even in the absence of leading scorer Danny Granger?
"You need all hands on deck in order for it to become the team that was put together," said. O'Brien. "I think we're playing pretty good basketball right now. We’ve got a lot of things to clean up. We're at our best when we're moving. When we call a set play, I don't know if we have enough weapons without Danny. So we've got to rely on movement and we're going to have to improve that.
"But I like the things we're seeing offensively. In the last four games we're around 104 points a game and the 3-point shooting has escalated so it's becoming more difficult to guard us."
The trip to Memphis will offer the Pacers their first look at Jamaal Tinsley in a Memphis uniform. The former Pacers guard has averaged 4.5 points and 3.6 assists, shooting 39 percent overall and 22 percent from the 3-point line, in 14 appearances since signing with the Grizzlies on Nov. 14.
The Grizzlies (10-15) have lost two in a row.
TRENDS
Murphy has averaged 20.8 points and 11.3 rebounds, shooting 31-of-51 (.608) overall and 10-of-21 (.476) from the 3-point line in the last four. … T.J. Ford has racked up 28 points and 20 assists in the last two games, including 13 Wednesday against Charlotte, his most since joining the Pacers. … Earl Watson has 16 assists and has made 6-of-10 from the 3-point line in the last three. … Dunleavy has averaged 20 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting .532 overall and .611 from the 3-point line in the last four. … The Pacers are 4-2 without Granger this season and 17-10 all-time. … Roy Hibbert has 10 fouls in 30 minutes in the last two games but the Pacers have outscored opponents by 28 points with him on the floor. … Dahntay Jones has shot 20of-58 (.345) overall and 0-of-6 from the 3-point line, averaging 7.7 points in the last seven.KEY TO THE GAME
Oddly enough, it might be the first quarter. The Pacers have jumped off to fast starts in each of their last four games, shooting 56.7 percent and averaging 30.8 points in the first quarter. The only quarter in which the Grizzlies have outscored opponents this year is the first (they're plus-49 for the season) so even though history between the teams indicates an early lead doesn't mean all that much, the Pacers have benefited from their fast starts of late.SERIES
The Pacers blew big leads in both meetings last season. They held on to win 104-99 on Feb. 25 in Indianapolis after nearly blowing an 11-point second-half lead. They jumped all over the Grizzlies on Dec. 26 in Memphis, leading 32-15 early and racking up 68 points in the first half, only to manage a total of 37 in the second in losing 108-105. Overall, Indiana leads 21-6 and is 9-5 in Memphis.INJURIES
Pacers -- Jeff Foster (back) is day-to-day; Granger (foot) and Travis Diener (toe) are out.Grizzlies -- Rudy Gay (ankle) is day-to-day; Darrell Arthur (chest) and Marko Jaric (not with team) are out.
