Countdown to Tipoff: Pacers at Thunder
SCOUTING THE PACERS: The Pacers (27-32, 10-18 on the road) opened their brutal March schedule with a solid 109-100 victory over Golden State behind Danny Granger's 27 points on Tuesday night to snap a two-game losing streak and now face three in a row and 10 of 13 on the road. They've won four of six away from Conseco Fieldhouse and are 10-5 overall under coach Frank Vogel with the offense humming right along, averaging 105.9 points per game. The defense is showing signs of coming around of late, limiting opponents to .439 shooting in five games since the All-Star break. The Pacers held the Thunder to 39 percent shooting in their Nov. 26 matchup but couldn't contend with 6-4 point guard Russell Westbrook, who erupted for 43 points to lead Oklahoma City back from a 14-point deficit to a 110-106 overtime victory.
SCOUTING THE THUNDER: Though Oklahoma City (36-22, 20-9 at home) is on a three-game losing streak, the opponents were the Spurs, Magic and Lakers, with the first two of those on the road. Still, the Thunder is concerned about an offense that hasn't broken 88 points in the last two games and managed just 31 in the second half of a 90-87 loss to the Lakers on Sunday. The NBA's leading scorer at 28.5, Kevin Durant has been in a shooting slump, hitting just 33.6 percent overall and .217 (5-of-23) from the 3-point line in the last five. Though Kendrick Perkins signed a four-year contract extension, the center recently acquired from Boston is out with a sprained knee and may not play for a week or two. Oklahoma City is going for its first season series sweep since 2006-07, when the franchise was in Seattle.
QUOTE MARKS: "A win that falls in line with the identity we have created for our basketball team -- 36 free throw attempts to 18 on their part. That’s what we are looking for. Danny was spectacular in getting to the line and being aggressive, not settling." – Vogel on Tuesday's win.
INJURY REPORT: For the Pacers, Mike Dunleavy (broken left thumb) is out. For the Thunder, Kendrick Perkins (sprained left knee) is out.
BROADCAST INFO: The game will be telecast at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports Indiana with Chris Denari and Clark Kellogg calling the game and Stacy Paetz on the sideline, with a pre-game show starting at 7:30. The radio broadcast is anchored by the flagship of the Pacers' network, WIBC 93 FM, featuring Mark Boyle and Bob "Slick" Leonard, with Kevin Lee reporting.
INTERACT: You can chat with other fans around the country in our live game chat, which begins at tipoff.