SB Nation - T.J. Ford

Starters Continue To Get Outplayed, Outscored During Losing Streak

spstevenson — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:41:46 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the bench has been keeping the Pacers in games, while the starters have been helping the team add up losses.

Browse more photos »

They are the players that set the tone. From start to finish, the players who get their names called under the bright lights and rip off their warm-ups first are there for a reason. To compete and get the team off to a good start.

For the Indiana Pacers, the starting lineup is not getting the job done.

In the six-game losing streak, which increased last night after a 102-91 loss to the Blazers, the starters have been outscored 443-314, an average deficit of 21.5 per game. Seven players have cycled in and out of the starting gig during those six games. The culprits? Let's see the lineup: Danny Granger (five games), T.J. Ford (6), Dahntay Jones (4), Brandon Rush (3), Troy Murphy (6), Roy Hibbert (4) and Jeff Foster (2). The starters were outscored 72-51 last night, and it didn't help that the unit gave up the tied game that the bench climbed back for midway through the fourth. As Tom pointed out during his recap, Brandon Roy probably would have destroyed the bench just as well as he pummeled the starters down the stretch. but the starters were there when the possible win waved bye-bye.

With each game, it's taken an unsung bench player to keep the Pacers within striking distance and keep hope alive. It was rookies Tyler Hansbrough and A.J. Price last night. On other nights, Earl Watson and Mike Dunleavy have stepped up.

Coach Jim O'Brien commended his second unit after Thursday's loss: "I thought they played with a great deal of energy and gave us good tempo. I thought A.J. (Price) did a real good job for us. He's played at a very high level in practice and he's a very mature user of the pick and roll and he's a guy that can shoot the three off the pick and roll."

It's very difficult, as we've seen, to win in the NBA when your starters are treated by opponents like a JV squad and your bench is spending all of its energy trying to claw back into a hopeless game. For the starters, a possible quick cure is arriving at Conseco "Reggie Miller" Fieldhouse on Friday -- the Nets. More links after the jump.

AP Story
Box Score
Photo Gallery
NBA.com Recap
Pacers.com dishes out the quotes and +/- in the latest Inside the Game edition. We'll let guard Dahntay Jones explain this one: "We had a problem with the pick and roll and did not defend very well against it. Couldn't stop it. We've go to learn to finish the ball game a little better. So it's back to the drawing board and get this thing turned around. Losing is not fun." Jones scored a team-high 19 points, but only put two through the hoop in the final 18 minutes of play.
Mike Wells recaps the game as he notes that the Pacers are definitely one All-Star short of competing with the likes of Brandon Roy and the Blazers.
IndyStar columnist Bob Kravitz says that Danny Granger's injury has given the greenlight for Brandon Rush and that we'll know now if he's a bust or not. Kravitz extended his streak of mentioning Shawne Williams in a Pacers-related column to a career-high 25 consecutive pieces.
John Oehser covered the game for his Examiner page.
Here are some previews to the Blazers-Pacers matchup that were posted yesterday: Eight Points, Nine Seconds and Always Miller Time.
Wells posted on his Pacers Insider page about the great game for rookie A.J. Price.
SB Nation's Blazers Edge had the game covered from the enemy's perspective. Rip City Project also chimed in with a recap and Jason Quick covered the game for The Oregonian.
And as the Pacers continue to increase their chances of getting lucky in the lottery, check out the recap of John Wall's performance against UConn last night. Oh yeah, we're already there.

Clippers 88, Pacers 72: Granger Leaves Game As Indiana Crumbles Late Without Star Guard

spstevenson — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:20:25 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

Danny Granger left Saturday's game at the beginning of the second half and did not return as the Pacers dropped another loss.

Browse more photos »

If only Jimmy Chitwood could have donned his Hickory High jersey and played the second half with the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. The actor who played the Hoosiers icon sat courtside as the Pacers put on another disaster of a performance during the waning minutes in their final game of a Western road trip.

After trailing by only two points at halftime, star Danny Granger reinjured his bruised right heel at the start of the second half and although the blue and gold hung around until the fourth, the injury helped sealed the team's fate. Even Chitwood couldn't have stopped the ensuing collapse.

The Pacers committed 21 turnovers, made only 37.5 percent from the floor, produced a season-low point total and lost for the ninth time in their last 10 games as the Clippers steamrolled the blue and gold in the final seven minutes en route to a 88-72 Pacers loss. The young season reached another low point for the Pacers (6-12).

With 2:38 remaining in the third quarter, rookie Tyler Hansbrough's two free throws brought the Pacers within two as the Cips led 56-54. Indiana would remain in the game until midway through the fourth quarter when an Earl Watson layup brought the Paces within two again with 6:54 remaining in the game. Unfortunately, Indiana would score only four more points in the final seven minutes. Three crucial turnovers, including a 24-second violation, and several clankers off the basket showed some glaring holes in the Pacers offense down the stretch. Granger's playmaking ability was sorely missed as the team was left without anyone to take over the game.

While the Pacers' offense went comatose in the final minutes, the defense and rebounding was also to blame. All five Clippers starters scored in double figures. Marcus Camby also grabbed 17 rebounds, helping Los Angeles to a 58-34 rebounding advantage, including a 19-4 edge on the offensive end. Both totals were season highs for the Clippers.

Indiana finished its Western road trip with an unimpressive and disheartening 0-4 record. This game was really a downer in the fourth. Just read some of our fan's reactions on the game thread. This one was got ugly, quickly. Check out more after the jump, if you dare.

Before leaving the game with his injury, Granger made 4-of-12 shots for 11 points. He had a couple of nice, forceful drives in the first half, but he was mostly a nonfactor before the injury anyway. Clippers center Chris Kaman said the following about the Pacers star: "He was not playing well tonight," Kaman said of Granger. "He is a great player and does a great job for them, but we did a good job defensively. He was missing shots and then he got injured."
Troy Murphy came through with a team-high 37 minutes and team-high 13 points tonight. Yeah, that should tell you a lot about the game. Murph also grabbed a team-high nine boards.
Jeff Foster started in place of Roy Hibbert in this one, but he didn't stay on the court very long. Hibbert entered the game quickly with about eight minutes to go in the first quarter and Foster was limited to only 12 minutes. Hibbert bounced back from his past two bad performances on the road trip to score 12 points in the post. It was nice to see the team feed him the ball on the block after being neglected of late. It was Hibbert's first game in double-digits in the past nine games.
Where art thou, T.J. Ford? The starting point guard must be playing some of the worst ball that a starting NBA caliber point guard can play right now. Another listless performance left the team's leadership position at a season-low in this one. Ford had another goose egg in the points column, had two assists, two turnovers and four fouls in 18 minutes. Luckily, Earl Watson, who struggled shooting the ball, proved his worth again by dishing out nine of the team's 19 assists.
Mike Dunleavy and Hansbrough both exceeded their minute limits tonight as Dunleavy played 22 and the rookie totaled 20. Dunleavy scored 10 points off the bench.
The Pacers held the Clippers to shooting 34.9 percent from the field tonight. Indiana shot 37.9 percent from the court.
Eric Gordon, who is still struggling with injuries, started for the Clippers but scored a season-low six points on 2-for-7 shooting.

Pacers Will Need To Conjure Up Some Sort Of Defense To Stop Jazz

spstevenson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:59:29 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Dahntay Jones and the Pacers will need easy buckets like these to keep up with one of the hottest shooting NBA teams tonight in Utah.

Browse more photos »

This probably isn't the best time for the Indiana Pacers to visit the Utah Jazz. Of course, really when would there be a better time this season? Definitely not until the Pacers learn to play defense.

The Jazz (10-6) and Pacers are streaking, although both in opposite directions, and Utah's recent six wins in seven games have allowed the team to find its offensive intensity and efficiency that was missing at the beginning of the season. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Jazz nearly set a team record the other night by shooting better than 60 percent from the field for the third straight game (the team made 58 percent of its shots in a 120-93 thumping of Memphis on Monday). The Jazz have also scored more than 100 points all but three times this season.

Umm, as you can guess, that's probably not good for the Pacers right now. Unless the team picked up some sort of magical defense elixir on its trip from Sacramento to Utah, Indiana will need to conjure up players who can defend the pick-and-roll and the perimeter for tonight's matchup. Neither of those things have happened often this season.

Indiana will continue to use its new nine-man rotation tonight against Utah, but the team will probably run into problems in the fourth quarter again when Mike Dunleavy and Tyler Hansbrough reach their maximum minute schedules of 20 minutes and 16 minutes, respectively. No doubt about it, tonight will be a tough game for the defensive-lapsing Pacers.

But don't get down and turn that frown upside down. Check out the links after the jump and give a little prayer. Miracles still happen.

Mike Wells reports that the Pacers are still trying to find excuses for their poor play of late. He notes that the Pacers last had success this season when Troy Murphy wasn't in the game and when the team played small-ball, but coach Jim O'Brien said that lineup isn't likely to return because of how vital Murphy is to spreading the floor. Also, here's a quote from T.J. Ford, effectively citing enough evidence for his own benching:

"I don't know what we're going through right now, but it's not good. I don't know, but we have to figure out how to be consistent as a collective group. I guess you find the guys that are the most productive and play them. Just do what it takes." -- T.J. Ford

Bruno talks about the new playing rotation (Dahntay Jones and Roy Hibbert in the starting lineup) and how it affects the team.
ESPN's 30 for 30 series has been really good so far, but apparently the sports movie that has everybody talking is the one about titled "Winning Times: Reggie Miller vs. The Knicks". The film, by documentarian Dan Klores, will be featured at the Sundance Film Festival and is being touted on many "hot topic" lists for films being shown there. Sounds like a good one.
Ron Artest clarified his statements about drinking during the halftime of NBA games during his first two years in the league, according to the Indianapolis Star. The former Pacers player said he wanted to get the information out there so young people could learn from his mistakes.
Don't try to reconfigure your TV screen tonight during tonight's game against the Jazz. Standard.net reports that the Jazz are set to wear their green throwbacks tonight. No word if the Pacers are joining the retro party.
The Indianapolis Star writes that Bright House has extended its partnership with the Pacers.

Kings Move Above .500 With 110-105 Win Over Pacers

Ziller — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:27:37 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Browse more photos »

Tyreke Evans took T.J. Ford out of the game in the first quarter. Literally. Evans so abused Ford that Pacers coach Jim O'Brien had no choice but to pull his point guard eight minutes in. Ford only played 12 more minutes the rest of the game, finishing with zero points, one assist and two turnovers.

That might have been the difference in the game -- getting a goose egg from a vital offensive weapon who happens to be undersized against normal point guards (never mind a creature like 'Reke) and as such gives up 16 first-quarter points ... that's pretty huge. And it happened only because of Evans's tools, and his willingness to use them. That first Ford stint was an 8-minute match-up problem. That's why you draft players like Evans.

Elsewhere on the court, Spencer Hawes out-Murphyed Troy Murphy, hitting three threes (Murphy had one) and generally doing what he pleased on the court. He and Jason Thompson (who was also effective on offense), however, got murdered on the boards, giving up an outrageous 22 offensive rebounds for Indiana. The Pacers took 43 percent of all offensive rebound opportunities, which is way way too many.

But thanks to the humming offense (and awful Pacers defense), the Kings pulled it out.

Kings 110, Pacers 105: Indiana Fights Until The End, But Kings Escape With Win

spstevenson — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:59:14 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Tyler Hansbrough heard the Home Court Gift Shop needed some new posters and happily obliged by making a new one on Thursday.

Browse more photos »

It was the starting lineup that seemed like the obvious choice -- a roll call featuring Dahntay Jones and Roy Hibbert. In the end, however, it didn't make a difference on the final scoreboard.

A listless performance from T.J. Ford, some poor defense from the starting frontcourt of Troy Murphy and Hibbert and a turnover-prone second half (14) were nearly negated by some very energized and surprising bench play, but it wasn't enough as the Pacers dropped a 110-105 loss outing to the Kings on Thursday. The Pacers have now lost seven of their last eight.

The starters helped put the team in a hole in the first and third quarters. Ford, Murphy and Hibbert, particularly, didn't have the best games of their careers. Ford may as well have been in Utah already. The starting PG had no points, one assist and two turnovers in a very forgettable 20 minutes of play. Luckily, the second unit, led by a fiesty and spirited group consisting of Earl Watson, Mike Dunleavy, Tyler Hansbrough and Jeff Foster, kept the Pacers in the game until the very end.

Watson and Foster's determination late, along with Danny Granger's offense, gave the Pacers a fighting chance in the final minute of the game as the Pacers erased a seven-point third quarter deficit. Indiana cut the Kings' lead to 108-105 with 16 seconds remaining, but it was too late. More on that final minute after the jump.

Coach Jim O'Brien attempted to sport only a nine-man playing rotation Thursday. That left Brandon Rush at the end of the bench until midway through the fourth (he played only because Mike Dunleavy had to sit after reaching his 20-minute max) after being relieved from his starting spot for Jones.

Overall, the Pacers at least hung tough in this one and played up until the final buzzer to make it interesting. They were never out of it and there were some great performances from players such as Granger, Watson and Foster, and the Pacers even outrebounded the Kings 49-39...22-10 on offensive boards, yet, still lost! Had Dunleavy been allowed to keep playing with six minutes to go and right when the Pacers started making a run, it could have been even more interesting. But, alas, wishing don't make it happen folks. The Kings shot 51 percent from the field, including 50 percent from beyond the arc, and executed the pick and roll to decimate the Pacers defense.

The Pacers have lost three straight. More after the jump.

Danny Granger and Dahntay Jones again proved that they work well together, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Between Granger's outside shooting and Jones' mid-range jumpers, the two carried what amounted to the Pacers' offense for most of the game. Granger finished with 33 points (his fifth 30-point game of the season) on 10-of-24 shooting, while Jones dropped 16 points.
Mike Dunleavy's "Minute Watch" caught up to him unexpectedly with more than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Dunleavy reached his 20-minute limit early and was sent to the bench right as the Pacers began pulling within striking distance of the Kings. Dunleavy contributed six points in 20 minutes. His absence allowed Brandon Rush to avoid the DNP-CD.
Speaking of Rush, he came in for some brief minutes at the end of the game and on an important possession that could pull the Pacers within five points late, Rush passed up a wide-open 3-pointer for...well, I'll let Jared Wade of Eight Points, Nine Seconds do the commentary from his Twitter page: "So Brandon Rush forgoes a nice, in-rhythm three in transition for a pump-fake, dribble left, pull-up 22-foot two-pointer 2 secs later?"
The Pacers' defense continues to struggle with the pick-and-roll and it continues to allow opposing playmakers to have field days against the blue and gold. Rookie Tyreke Evans exploded for 16 points in the first quarter (finished with 26), while Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes thrived on the generosity of the Pacers spacing issues by going for 22 and 21, respectively.
Granger attempted to put on the Batman mask during the final minute for a near-superhero comeback. A Granger 3-pointer pulled the team within five points with 1:13 left in the game. After getting the ball back on a jump ball, Jones casually threw the ball away on the inbounds pass with 50 seconds left. Granger struck another crazy 3-pointer with 36 seconds on the clock to pull Indiana 107-103. After an Evans made free throw, Granger bricked a three, but was fouled on a second attempt behind the line. Unfortunately, the star clanked the first free throw and made the second two, pulling the blue and gold within a 108-105 score with 16 seconds remaining. Jones missed a 3-ball on the next possession to effectively end the Pacers attempted comeback.
T.J. Ford. Yuck.
Watson played really well in place of the point guard mentioned in the previous bullet point. The backup was all over the court, dishing and hitting the open man. Playing along with Dunleavy really opened up the offense for the Pacers. He finished with 15 points.

Preview: Pacers at Kings

Ziller — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:00:18 -0000

by Steve Yeater - AP

View full size photo »

THE OPPONENT

Of the four teams Sacramento met or will meet during this homestand, all have below average offenses, and three have dreadful offenses. Indiana is one of those three. The Pacers have averaged 101.3 points per 100 possessions this season, despite a wide-open offense predicated finding and taking the open three, and despite the presence of Danny Granger, a simply divine scorer.

Indiana has shot terribly from long-range this season: 30.8 percent, 24th in the league and some 40 points off league average. (By contrast, the Kings shoot 38.4 percent from distance, fourth in the league.) There is reason to believe this is just a cold start for Indiana: the team did shoot nearly 38 percent from three last season, and Troy Murphy in particular has been uncharacteristically errant, shooting 31 percent a year after shooting an incredible 45 percent. You figure Murphy (who takes nearly half his attempts from beyond the arc) will sort things out. You hope, of course, it doesn't come against the Kings, who this season have already given up a few big games to perimeter-based bigs, including Oklahoma City's Jeff Green, David West of New Orleans and Zach Randolph of Memphis.

If it's any matter, Indiana has improved quite a bit on defense. The team has surrendered 105 points per 100 possessions early this year, some 4.2 pt/100p better than last season, in which the team finished 19th in defense. If we may discuss specifics, Indiana has improved its shot defense (whether that's real or based on some well-timed opponent cold streaks remains to be seen) and its defensive rebounding remains solid. The Kings have risen to No. 9 in the league in team shooting, so, assuming the Kings aren't cold, our charges should challenge Indiana's new resistance. Further, Sacramento has managed to place 10th in foul-drawing, despite the absence of uberwhistlegetter Kevin Martin. No team fouls more frequently than Indiana. Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans should get plenty of free throw attempts; let's hope Spencer Hawes and Donte Greene join them.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Danny Granger	14	37.2	7.8	18.7	41.6	3.1	8.8	35.8	5.9	7.1	82.0	0.9	5.6	6.4	2.9	2.9	1.6	1.1	3.6	24.6
Mike Dunleavy	2	19.0	5.5	10.5	52.4	1.0	3.5	28.6	5.5	5.5	100.0	0.0	2.5	2.5	0.5	1.5	1.5	0.5	1.5	17.5
Dahntay Jones	15	33.3	5.8	12.9	45.1	0.2	0.8	25.0	4.9	6.0	81.1	0.4	3.5	3.9	2.2	2.5	0.9	1.1	3.3	16.7
T.J. Ford	15	26.4	3.9	8.7	44.6	0.0	0.8	0.0	2.9	3.9	75.9	1.1	3.1	4.2	3.1	1.7	0.9	0.3	2.4	10.7
Troy Murphy	9	29.1	3.7	8.4	43.4	1.1	3.6	31.3	1.3	1.7	80.0	1.7	7.0	8.7	2.3	1.6	0.7	0.7	2.2	9.8
Roy Hibbert	15	23.5	4.1	8.0	51.7	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.5	2.1	68.8	2.7	3.9	6.7	1.8	1.7	0.3	1.7	3.5	9.7
Brandon Rush	15	28.7	3.0	8.7	34.6	1.1	3.7	30.4	0.7	1.3	52.6	0.4	4.1	4.5	1.3	1.2	0.9	0.8	1.7	7.8
Tyler Hansbrough	11	15.2	2.5	6.5	38.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.4	3.5	66.7	1.7	2.5	4.3	1.0	0.6	0.3	0.4	2.3	7.3
Earl Watson	15	25.4	2.3	5.2	43.6	0.8	2.5	32.4	1.7	2.1	78.1	0.5	2.1	2.5	2.9	1.4	1.2	0.5	2.0	7.0
Luther Head	12	14.8	2.3	5.1	44.3	0.2	1.3	12.5	0.5	0.5	100.0	0.2	1.0	1.2	2.1	1.1	0.3	0.3	0.8	5.2
Solomon Jones	12	16.7	1.8	3.8	48.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	1.1	61.5	1.3	2.5	3.8	0.9	1.3	0.3	1.1	3.2	4.3
A.J. Price	5	6.4	1.0	2.0	50.0	0.8	1.6	50.0	0.4	0.6	66.7	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.2	3.2
Jeff Foster	7	15.7	1.1	2.0	57.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	1.0	71.4	2.1	2.4	4.6	1.3	1.1	0.3	0.3	2.9	3.0
Josh McRoberts	6	4.7	0.5	1.3	37.5	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.3	50.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.2	0.8	1.2

THE KEY BATTLE

Jason Thompson vs. Troy Murphy. Murphy, again, is perhaps the league's best massive shooter, a veritable Mehmet Okur without the excuse of European birth. Many consider this stigma to be just that -- a stigma, something to be frowned upon. But in actuality, Murphy (when his shot is true) is more valuable than your typical low post 17-point scorer. Why? Well, perimeter-based players are less susceptible to turnovers ... which is a huge deal for big men. Further, while free throws are the most efficient shots in the NBA, don't count out the fact that most big men suck at shooting free throws, and that three-pointers are, well, worth three points.

Murphy is also a great defensive rebounder, and that's where this battle could potentially turn in the Kings' favor: can Thompson steal more than a couple rebounds from Murphy and part-time running mate Jeff Foster? J.T. has shocked us against some other good-to-great defensive rebounders, so I'll keep that candle burning heading into tonight. Of course, I think I'd rather see the Kings hit all their shots. Thompson plays into that as well: every minute Roy Hibbert is not on the court is an opportunity for the Kings to run plays through J.T. in the post. On defense, Murphy is quick as frozen beets. Thompson has developed a few clever moves, and I hope he attacks with them tonight.

MEDICAL UPDATE

Team medical consultant Grant Napear reports that center Spencer Hawes (bruised knee) will either play tonight or wear women's underwear under his tailored suit.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

The guard match-ups will be really interesting -- I write this Tuesday night with no clue if Donte Greene will continue to start, or if Beno Udrih will get back into the first five. If Paul Westphal sticks with Evans/Greene, Pacers two-guard Dahntay Jones (a solid if not better defender with decent size and strength) will potentially be assigned to mark Evans (Sacramento's top weapon) which leaves 5'11 T.J. Ford on 6'10 Greene. Guh. (Of course, if Jones guards Greene, then Evans will live in the post, with the only issue being with Foster or Hibbert can help quickly enough, and if so whether Evans can hit the open man cleanly.) If Beno re-enters the unit, he should be at an advantage across from Ford, but not nearly as big of one as Evans or Greene offers. It should be interesting.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 8.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

The Dahntay/Donte transition dunk-off will be epic.

DETAILS

The game will begin at 7PM on Comcast SportsNet and KHTK 1140 AM. Game thread at 7, Game thread 2 at 8, post-game thread at 9:45, recap at IKEA West Sac.

IC Cold Links: Waiting On The Pacers vs. Kings

Tom Lewis — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:38:04 -0000

Could this be the night Dahntay Jones starts over Brandon Rush?

Bruno's Scouting Report broaches the subject and and it seems like the time is now for a change. The Sacramento Kings offer up some crazy matchup problems, what with a 6'11" shooting guard and 6'7" center in the starting lineup. But the biggest problem is their stout, 6'6" rookie point guard, Tyreke Evans who was just named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month.

It would be nice to have Dahntay Jones following the rookie's every move, but initially T.J. Ford or Earl Watson will have to try to pester Evans. I know, this sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen, but the Pacers only succeed with a full team effort on defense and with some of these odd matchups that team mentality should take root out of pure necessity. Plus, the Kings normally spend more time playing with a traditional lineup by sliding Evans to the two-guard and bringing Beno Udrih and Sergio Rodriguez in to play the point.

Any way you slice it, I'm looking forward to seeing how the Pacers attack the Kings tonigt. And attack they must, or they'll be left on the side of the road again dragging another L with them to Salt Lake City.

A few more links of interest after the jump.

Pacers must put up better defense
Mike Wells reports on the Pacers looking to shore up their defense at the point of attack with another scoring guard to contend with tonight in Tyreke Evans.
Video: Dahntay Jones springboards off Monta Ellis - Ball Don't Lie
Forget the poster, this is Dahntay's Picasso over Monta Ellis.
Game #15 Recap: The Monta Ellis Show
Jared Wade at Eight Points, Nine Seconds recaps the Dubs second-half destruction of the Pacers.
Kings game plan vs. Indiana - Sacramento Sports
Quick preview of tonight's game from the Sacramento Bee.
Team celebrates Evans' accolade
Sam Amick reports on Tyreke Evans lifting the Kings' spirits after being named Western Conference Rookie of the Month yesterday.
Let's Not Decide the Rookie of the Year Race Just Yet...
Zach Harper makes the case that despite Brandong Jenning bursting on the scene early in his rookie year, that Tyreke Evans and his steady (and huge) play for the Kings deserves the same amount of attention. So let the rooks play it out before locking up your ROY vote too early.
Also, I will be talking about the Pacers this evening on WNDE-1260AM around 5:30PM with Zakk from Indy Sports Nation who is hosting The Drive today while WNDE tries to figure out how to replace JMV.

Pacers Stumble Before First Rest Stop On The Road

Tom Lewis — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:35:47 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

Monta Ellis had his share of layups en route to his 45-point evening.

Browse more photos »

The Indiana Pacers lost control of the game last night in a hurry.

After desperately trying to hold onto their lead in the third quarter, the Golden State Warrors finished with a flurry, scoring seven straight points in the final 58 second of the third to take a two-point lead into the deciding fourth quarter. Monta Ellis then exploded for another seven straight points on his own in the first 64 seconds of the fourth.

The 14-0 run over two minutes stunned and staggered the Pacers and they never recovered. After the jump, a few more observations from the game along with some links of interest.

Jeff Foster starrted in place of Roy Hibbert as Jim O'Brien continues to search for the right combination of players to produce wins. Foster responded well against the depleted front court of the Warriors with 9 points and 9 rebounds, including 6 offensive boards. Hibbert on the other hand didn't offer much off the bench. Within three minutes he had three fouls and eventually only played 11 minutes with 2 points, 2 rebounds and 5 fouls.
Danny Granger finished with 22 points but despite a few blips on the radar couldn't produce any momentum for the Pacers. He also had five turnovers, struggling with the ball in traffic. I realize his wheels aren't 100% but this team need Granger to carry the offensive load at times and he just hasn't be able to fill that role of late. Granger tried shaking things up by starting the game with a headband. Looked a bit strange with it covering his ears and must've felt strange since he took it off in the first quarter.
Mike Dunleavy saw some significant minutes maxing out his allotment and producing 22 points in 23 minutes. He appeared worn out toward the end fading along with the Pacers' chances of winning.
T.J. Ford had one of his better games going in the first half and along with Earl Watson, the two point guards did a great job of getting in the paint for some easy buckets. The second half was a different story as both struggled with the game on the line and the duo ended the night with a combined 8 turnovers.
Brandon Rush started the game but his tentative play gave way to Dahntay Jones. Jones started the third quarter and finished the game with 21 points. Rush score no points in 16 minutes, with one play exemplifying his confounding play. Early in the first quarter, Rush had the ball on the left wing. A nice pump fake and dribble opened him up from about 18 feet, instead of shooting it he passed to T.J. Ford in the corner for a missed three-pointer. As Rush was passing the ball, you could hear Foster yell, "Shoot it!"
Box score with highlights
PACERS: Inside the Game: Pacers at Warriors
The Associated Press: Ellis scores 45 in Warriors win over Pacers
Pacers blow another big lead
Mike Wells reports on the Pacers allowing a 32-point swing in favor of the Warriors leading to a disheartening loss.
Warriors Web: Warriors 126, Pacers 107 - Monta scores career high 45 pts
GSoM thoroughly enjoyed the Dubs' comeback win.
Pacers Notebook: Pacers playing Hibbert off the bench
Mike Wells has more on Jim O'Brien shuffling lineups to look for answers on the road trip. JOB likes Jeff Foster on the court in part because his +/- numbers are usually the best on the team. Last night, Foster was the only player with a positive number, +1.
Do you smell that? That's a nasty funk coming from the Pacers
Mike Wells blogs about the mess he witnessed in Oakland last night.
Monta Ellis leads Golden State Warriors past Pacers
Marcus Thompson II reports on Monta Ellis lighting up the Pacers last night.
Bird willing to remain patient
Mike Wells talks to Larry Bird about the team's struggles so far this season and in essence, Jim O'Brien's status.
Warriors Web: Warriors 126, Pacers 107 - Monta scores career high 45 pts
GSoM thoroughly enjoyed the Dubs' comeback win.

Warriors 126, Pacers 107: Pacers Turnover Win To Warriors

Tom Lewis — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:25:16 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

Tough start to the road trip for Jeff Foster and the Pacers.

Browse more photos »

The formula for the Pacers to win at Golden State on Monday night revealed itself early.

Take care of the ball and attack the lane on offense. The Pacers certainly came out in attack mode, taking advantage of Golden State turnovers and indeed getting the ball to the rim. Obviously, Jim O'Brien emphasized not settling for jumpers and T.J. Ford in particular got the message, working his way into the lane whenever possible.

While Golden State had 15 first half turnovers, the Pacers failed to take full advantage thanks to 13 turnovers of their own. The Pacers lost the turnover battle and the game in the second half with another 11 donations as a potential win suddenly slipped out of reach as the Warriors took control of the game in the fourth quarter to win, 126-107.

Monta Ellis had a career-high 45 points for Golden State which included a seven-point explosion to start the fourth quarter which put the Warriors in control of the game. After spending much of the night making an array of layups from every angle, Ellis hit a few long jumpers and then his teammates joined the party.

When Ellis fouled out with six minutes left in the game, the Pacers were down 12 but had plenty of time to work their way back into winning position. Instead Corey Maggette filled the scoring void left by Ellis and the Warriors actually expanded the lead until JOB threw up the white flag and emptied the bench, down 15 with 2:33 left in the game.

Despite the final deficit, the Pacers had this win within grasp at a few different points throughout the first two and a half quarters, but their own carelessness with the ball combined with Monta Ellis kept the Warriors within striking distance. The Pacers had several double-digit leads but instead of pushing the advantage out to 20, the Warriors would capitalize on Pacer mistakes and drop the lead inside 10. With a 12-point first half lead and 13-point third quarter lead everything seemed to come easy for the Pacers, if they could just take care of the little things and on big thing, the ball, they'd roll to a win.

But instead, the let the Dubs hang around and once Monta's teammates joined the party, the Warriors simply ambushed the Pacers and seized the game early in the fourth quarter, gripping it tightly until the final buzzer.

On to Sacramento for a Wednesday night game against a very tough Kings team. I have a feeling the Pacers will be in a gym somewhere tomorrow.

Pacers 86, Clippers 73: Better Late Than Never, Pacers Run Past Clippers In Fourth Quarter

Tom Lewis — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:59:28 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

All's well that ends well, like this dunk by Dahntay Jones.

Browse more photos »

The Indiana Pacers were only half good again tonight, but this time they saved their best for last to beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 86-73.

After clunking and clanking their way to a 34-point first half, the Pacers used the third quarter to work their way back into the game and then just exploded for 31 points in the deciding fourth to cruise by the Clippers.

There were a lot of moving parts that had to come together to eventually create the winning combination. Leading scorer, Danny Granger was a late scratch and remains day-to-day after an MRI revealed the Pacers resident all-star has a sprained MCL in his left knee. But Granger's absence was no excuse for the ugly first half that saw both teams shoot in the low 30% from the floor.

In fact, the Pacers only scored 34-points in the first half, ironically matching the pitiful second-half point total in the last two home losses to the Knicks and Cavaliers. Fortunately the Clippers weren't much better and the Pacers only trailed by nine at the break. The game continued to creep along in the third quarter, but the Pacers cut the lead to four heading into the fourth.

At winning time, though, the Pacers answered big time, winning the fourth 31-14 in a game that became quite intense and a little chippy. At one point Baron Davis and T.J. Ford had a silly squabble of wills with neither wanting to flinch, but it added some juice to the game and although it woke up Baron Davis at the offensive end, it also engaged Ford at both ends as he included his teammates who put forth a great team effort to close out the game. I'm convinced Davis was initially upset because Ford was actually giving him some fits with his defense.

Ford was just one of several players who wiped away a poor early effort to finish strong and find a way to win. Whether it was foul trouble or poor shooting, nearly every Pacers was struggling. But they used a strong defensive effort to stay in touch until the offense came around. In fact, the defense created some easy offensive chances. For instance, Roy Hibbert rotated over to block a Craig Smith layup early in the fourth. The block slammed off the backboard, fueling a layup by Ford at the other end and pushing the lead to four points. The Pacers would never trail again.

More on the major contributions after the jump.

Dahntay Jones was a monster in the fourth quarter and his game highlights how this one went from start to finish. Dahntay had zero points and three fouls in the first half. He forced a couple of shots but just couldn't make a jumper to save his life. He even missed a couple of free throws. But he kept grinding in the second half and drew a couple of fouls on drives to the rim. The made free throws helped his rhythm and before long he was scoring from all over the court, finishing with 18 points in the second half. He even knocked down a classic Quisy three where you beg him not to shoot and then watch the ball go in. Jones also helped slow down Baron Davis after the T.J tango re-engaged the Clippers' point guard.
Luther Head was one player who deserves credit for playing well in both the first and second half. For a three minute stretch early in the second quarter, Luther scored eight straight points which kept the Pacers in the game. He also had a couple of assists later in the quarter including a sweet leave for Roy Hibbert as he rolled to the hoop for an easy bucket. In the second half, Luther continued his solid play with six more points to finish with 14. At one point, I thought JOB was going to ride Luther home, but eventually the foul-strapped Brandon Rush returned to the court.
Troy Murphy also weathered three fouls in the first half while not shooting it particularly well. He did play much better defense, though and rebounded pretty well, although Marcus Camby was a nightmare for everyone. In fact, after Camby closed the third with a 3-pointer (seriously) he had 15 points and 20 rebounds. But in the fourth, Camby could only muster up one rebound and zero points. Meanwhile, Murph continued to scrap on the glass, even keeping a couple of possessions alive on the offensive glass, and then found his stroke when it mattered most. Murph's two three pointers in the last five minutes (set up nicely by T.J. Ford) helped suck the life out of the Clippers. The final trey put the Pacers up nine and was the deciding dagger. Murph finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
T.J. Ford came out of nowhere to produce big time down the stretch in this one. Until the fourth, it was the same old, same old with Ford. Not exactly spilling his guts at either end and offering up a couple of mind numbing turnovers. But tonight when it mattered, Ford stood up to Baron Davis and wasn't going down without a fight. While he made a few key shots and finished a couple of nice drives at the hoop, his assists were the difference in the fourth. Ford had three key dimes in the final five minutes that all set up made three-pointers and buried the Clippers.
Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush were a bit up and down as they both tried to play through foul trouble. Hibbert only ended up playing 25 minutes and aside from a couple of nice pick 'n roll finishes couldn't make a shot. Hibbert did hold his own defensively though and scrapping with Chris Kaman and helping to hold the Clippers leading scorer to 10 points. Hibbert finished with 3 blocks.
Rush finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Like Luther helped bolster what little offense the Pacers had in the first half with a couple of three-pointers. He struggled down the stretch, missing two free throws that were a result of two possession-saving offensive rebounds by Murphy and Jeff Foster. Fortunately, it didn't come back to bite the Pacers. Rush also felt the wrath of T.J. Ford after the two weren't on the same page during a critical late possession. Dahntay Jones mediated with an arm around each as they made their way to the bench for a timeout.
Jeff Foster and Tyler Hansbrough did a lot of dirty work during their time on the court. They actually played some together for the second night in a row. As you can imagine, the combo keeps things lively on the court. At the time in the third quarter, the Pacers needed all of the juice they could get and they provided a little boost.
When the game started, I was wondering which players might step up to fill the void with Granger sidelined. As it turned out, nearly everyone did a little something at least a little better than they have been to combine to turn this ugly game and potential fifth-straight loss into a sweet victory. Now the turkey will taste a little better tomorrow.