More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Luther Head tries to create some offensive magic in the middle of the paint during the Pacers' loss to Boston Tuesday.

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Let's jump right into the links that recap the Pacers' 103-94 loss to Boston on Tuesday:

• AP Story

• NBA.com Recap/Box Score

• Photo Gallery

• The Pacers.com Inside the Game recaps Tuesday's loss in Boston, while noting that the blue and gold has dropped 15 of 19 games since jumping out to a 5-3 start this season. The post also gives a quote from coach Jim O'Brien trying to find something positive in the recent struggles: "I think the positive thing is we're in games against Orlando on the road, San Antonio on the road, the Celtics on the road without Danny Granger. I tend to take that as a positive."

• Mike Wells recaps the game for the Indy Star, noting that the Pacers failed on both ends of the court in crunch time against the Celtics. The story also contains an interesting tidbit from new starting point guard Earl Watson. The pg notes that the change in offensive style in the fourth quarter isn't helping the team. Watson said: "Every game is different, but sometimes in the fourth quarter you can overanalyze things. I think we need to just play and continue to do the things we did in the first three quarters instead of trying to change the style of play."

• In his notebook dump, Wells also fills us in on Ray Allen's pursuit for breaking Pacers legend Reggie Miller's 3-point record, an update on Jeff Foster's injury and the latest on Marquis Daniels.

• Wells also posted a blog update asking fans to list their trade ideas and theories on who the Pacers could bring in before the trade deadline.

• Eight Points, Nine Seconds previewed the Pacers-Celts matchup here.

• If you need a Boston perspective on last night's loss, here are some sources: CelticsBlog, ESPN Boston, The Patriot Ledger and Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe.

Video highlights after the jump.

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More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Ahh, got to love the shots of Indiana Pacers players, such as Solomon Jones here, reaching frantically to stay in reach of a loose ball. This is the seventh time a picture of this kind has been metaphorically linked to the Pacers being just out of reach of holding a double-digit lead and gaining a loss this season.

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There's something about playing the Boston Celtics that brings out a tenacious, ball-hungry and shot-making Indiana Pacers team. And then, there's something about a fourth quarter that always brings out the true identity of the blue and gold.

After cruising to a 15-point halftime lead behind the spirited play of Earl Watson and Troy Murphy, the Pacers figured out another way to throw away a double-digit lead for the seventh time this season. Playing against one of the league's best, the Pacers turned the ball over (seven of the team's 19 TO's occurred in the fourth) coupled with a three-minute shooting slump that allowed Paul Pierce and the Celtics to stage a comeback 103-94 victory and hand the Pacers their fourth straight loss.

It was just another game where the Pacers jumped out to a big lead. Watson and Murphy helped lead the offense early as Murphy was dropping a slick-looking stroke from the outside, and even dropped a few moves in the post en route to his 24 points and season-high 18 boards. Watson, who started at the point for the third straight game, looked like he had all but locked up hearing his name in the starting unit after his stellar first half. All of his 18 points came in the half that helped extend a Pacers' 28-21 first-quarter lead to a 15-point advantage by halftime.

But even the most casual Pacers observer could see the second half unfold before it happened. With the Celtics trailing 66-54 in the third, the green rolled out 13 straight points (with Ray Allen dropping nine of them) to take the team's first lead of the game with 4:45 left in the third quarter.

Boston, playing without star Kevin Garnett who missed the game with a right thigh bruise, was led by Pierce's fourth-quarter outburst of seven straight unanswered points in three minutes to take the game from an 86-86 tie with 6:41 remaining to help put the game out of reach.

Another blown lead. Another loss. Take from this one what you want. At least the team didn't get blown to smithereens in the confines of one of the best teams in the league. But it was another case of not having enough firepower down the stretch. After Luther Head dropped the first two points of the fourth quarter, only Troy Murphy had anything going down the stretch. Murph was the only Pacer to score from the nine-minute mark to the three-minute point. Per usual, the Pacers have plenty of weapons in the first half, but those weapons start shooting blanks in crunchtime. Maybe it's a case of youth, inexperience and lack of talent, but the Pacers will continue to drop big leads until problems like this are fixed. And that's not even mentioning the team's defense in the fourth. Moving on...

Check out the jump for more notes about the loss and add your thoughts on the game.

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More photos » by Delcia Lopez - AP

T.J. Ford goes for the layup in the Pacers loss to the Spurs on Saturday. Ford was replaced in the starting lineup by Earl Watson.

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Earl Watson and Dahntay Jones were handed starting jobs against the Spurs on Saturday as a gesture for how well the two have played off the bench. It was also made to give the Pacers a chance at an upset in San Antonio. It almost worked.

After taking over the spots of T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush, the new starting backcourt were asked to do what they do best -- bring energy and defensive toughness to the starting unit. Although the two didn't produce glamorous offensive stats (and Ford finished the fourth quarter on the court), the duo helped the starting unit keep up with the Spurs' starters, only being outscored by two points. It was a far cry from the 100-54 lashing that the starters gave up to Memphis on Friday.

Coach Jim O'Brien explained his reasoning to the Indy Star before the game: "Earl deserves a look. We're trying to change some things up. He has the best plus-minus on the team. We're starting Dahntay because we want to start the game with as much defensive toughness as we can. [Watson] deserves a very, very solid look because the difference he makes off the bench is a dramatic one. Now he's playing against the other team's second unit. We understand that. We'll see how he does in the starting lineup."

Ford and Rush both benefited from playing against the Spurs' second string, while also playing with slashers and passers such as Mike Dunleavy and Tyler Hansbrough on the bench. In the Pacers' 100-99 loss, Watson had three points on 1-for-5 shooting and five assists, while Ford tossed in 14 points with five assists. Jones scored three points on free throws, while Rush went 4-for-8 for nine points in 28 minutes.

The ultimate stat, however, is that this lineup was able to come within one point of taking down the Spurs in San Antonio. After the shellacking that took place in Memphis, something needed to happen to spice up this team. We'll get a chance to see if JOB sticks with his new starting backcourt when the blue and gold return home to play the Bucks on Monday.

Check out the jump for more links.

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More photos » by Lance Murphey - AP

Mike Dunleavy, O.J. Mayo and Tyler Hansbrough chase down a loose ball during the Pacers' loss Friday. Hansbrough had a large following in the FedEx Forum as nearly 1,500 fans from Poplar Bluff attended the game.

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It wasn't exactly no place like home, but Indiana Pacers rookie Tyler Hansbrough was as close as he is going to get last night.

In the Pacers 107-94 loss to the Grizzlies Friday, Hansbrough played to a crowd of his hometown faithful who made the trip from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to the confines of the FedEx Forum in Memphis. Jeff Rabjohns of the IndyStar estimated that nearly 1,500 people from the small town crowded the arena to get a look at their favorite son. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Poplar Bluff to Memphis.

Here's Hansbrough after the game: "It's exciting to see everybody from my hometown coming out supporting me. It means a lot. There are people out there I haven't seen in a while."

Hansbrough played 22 minutes, went 4-of-13 from the field for 14 points and four rebounds. Check out more links after the jump.

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More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

Brandon Rush attacks the basket during the Pacers thrilla-in-Washington win Saturday evening.

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The Indiana Pacers bench players are crushing teams. They are on a seven-game winning streak and should be heading toward a spot in April's NBA playoffs.

But, after toppling the Wizards with a 49-29 advantage off the bench, the Pacers are still only 8-13 after escaping out of Washington with a nail-biting finish for the blue and gold's second straight win. While the bench attempts to the lead the team to victories, the starters pulls the team in the other direction. The bench continues to outplay the starters. As Mike Wells wrote in his notebook today, the second unit scored 49 points, 17 assists and nine rebounds against the Wiz. In the past three games, the bench consisting of Mike Dunleavy, Tyler Hansbrough, Luther Head, Earl Watson and Jeff Foster have combined for 136 points, 55 rebounds and 34 assists, and have outscored its past seven bench opponents, 293-196.

There are four prominent reasons that the starters continue to get outplayed by the team's bench guys: 1) The starters are playing the opposing team's starters, a definite disadvantage for a starting unit playing without its all-star Danny Granger; 2) T.J. Ford is still starting, a definite disadvantage for any unit that the point guard inhabits, at least until he finally lives up to his billing as a leader and provides some much-needed stability at his roster spot. Until then, he continues to disappoint (including another team-high -13 in the +/- stat department last night which bumps his season total to another team high, -123);

3) The starters are on the bench in the fourth quarter. Last night, Hansbrough, Dunleavy (the free-throw savior with 0.1 seconds remaining) and Watson were killers in the final minutes; and 4) There's this thing called defense and the starters aren't playing it. The starting unit gave up 76 points in the first and third quarters combined. The Pacers gave up less in the second and fourth quarters combined (37 points) than the team did in just one of the other two periods. Obviously, these quarters are played with a mix of both units, but the tone of the quarter is set in the first few minutes and can be maintained for the remaining minutes of the stazna. The bench is setting a good tone in their quarters.

Coach Jim O'Brien on his team's spirited bench play: "I think that they know they are important and we have confidence in them to succeed. Generally you're playing against the other team's bench and I think they're hungry. Earl has done a good job."

The starters, and bench, will have a big challenge come Monday when the team visits the Magic. Watson moved from the bench unit to the starting point guard spot at the start of the second half during Saturday's win. It will be interesting to see if Watson's move is permanent and whether any other changes will occur before Monday's game. Check out the jump for more links.

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More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

Mike Dunleavy ties the game with one-tenths of a second remaining after being fouled on an in-bounds play. His second free throw gave the Pacers a 114-113 victory.

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Don't believe the text messages or the e-mail alerts. Don't believe the scoreboards on your cell phones.

When the hoards of e-alerts went circling around cyberspace that the Indiana Pacers had seemingly dropped a one-point loss to the Wizards Saturday, fans who believed the initial warning were in for a special treat -- a Pacers win.

In a finale that brought back memories of last year's miraculous finish against the Cavs, it took several replays, a controversial foul and two Mike Dunleavy free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining for the Pacers to nab a 114-113 win in Washington. The win was the team's second in a row and snapped a six-game losing streak on the road.

Are we ready to recap this? Take a deep breath because here we go right into the thick of things in the final seconds. Gilbert Arenas clanks two free throws with 6.6 seconds left in the game and the Wiz up, 113-112. On the rebound, the Pacers are forced to make something happen quickly as the team has no timeouts hanging around in coach Jim O'Brien's pocket, so T.J. Ford decides it's his game to win/lose.

The guard takes it coast-to-coast, flings up a layup that sails beyond the goal, but Washington's Brandon Haywood decides he'd like to keep this game going and tips the ball out-of-bounds with 0.0 seconds on the clock. This is when all those alerts hit the airwaves. Game over. Pacers lose.

But, occasionally there's a deity out there that feels sorry about The Brawl and sends some luck toward Indy. After a referee review, it's determined there are actually 0.5 seconds left in the game. The Pacers pull out a page from their past and lob the ball to Dunleavy in the paint, hoping to draw the foul or luck into an easy bucket. Dun's does what he does best -- draws the foul on Haywood. Wizards fans boo. Pacers fans cheer. After another review to make sure that the foul occurred in regulation, Dunleavy stepped to the line and drained two free throws with 0.1 left on the clock and iced the win.

Wizards fans boo (particularly a nutjob behind the scorer's table). Pacers fans cheer. A new batch of alerts are sent out. The end.

That's a lot of junk that happened in just six seconds, but this game was chalk-full of fun material. Check out the jump for more about the other 47 minutes, 54 seconds of this one.

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More photos » by Ron Hoskins - NBAE via Getty Images

Tyler Hansbrough blows by the Nets during the Pacers first win in, like, forever.

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Rookie Tyler Hansbrough and veteran Mike Dunleavy nearly have the official green light. Right now, it's still at a cautionary yellow, but that could soon change as well.

After both were restricted for several weeks with limited minutes of under 20 per game, Friday's victory against the Nets brought to light that the Indiana Pacers medical staff has made the decision to decrease the minute restriction and allow for more playing time. Mike Wells reported in his notebook today that both players now have a ceiling of 24 minutes per contest. Dunleavy is recovering from a knee injury, while Hansbrough is still rehabilitating his injured shin.

Maybe it wasn't just having more minutes, but Hansbrough took full advantage of the increased amount of time he spent on the court Friday. The rook dropped 21 points and three steals, while Dunleavy compiled 15 points off the bench. Coach Jim O'Brien on Hansbrough: "He was playing as well as anybody on the team (tonight). We're fortunate he got kicked up another four minutes. His intensity on the court was something we needed."

Hopefully we'll continue to see these minute restrictions go by the way-side through the month of December. We'll see tonight if the minute restriction is any different for Dunleavy and Hansbrough during the second game of a back-to-back. Not only does the lessening of the minute restriction help in games, but hopefully both can contribute and participate more in practice situations as well.

More links after the jump, but before we link it up, here's Hansbrough's reaction to his great game and the team's struggles of late: "I felt good and it felt good to get a win tonight," Hansbrough said. "This win does not erase the losses that we had, but it sure helps out. It's very frustrating to lose but I have to keep working and we have to keep working on our game to get better. We showed up tonight, played hard and won. We see what can happen when you keep pushing and helping each other out. It was a good win and we want it to carry over to tomorrow."

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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.

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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.

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More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

Earl Watson and the other Pacers role players will have to step it up again as Danny Granger could miss some game time while healing latest injury.

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When somebody tries to define what a "bad" road trip means, they will look at the Indiana Pacers first trip to the West Coast during the 09-10 season. Disaster may be a better description.

Bad losses, season lows on offense and defense, players that disappeared like farts in the wind and another bite by the injury bug has left this Pacers team in shambles as it heads back to Indianapolis today. After dropping an 88-72 defeat to the Clippers on Saturday, Indiana has now lost nine of its past 10 games. Coupled with the loss of Danny Granger and things are looking bleak in Indy. There isn't much to hang your hat on here.

Nobody was sure after the game what the extent of Granger's injury could mean for the immediate future. The star went lame in the opening minute of the third quarter and fell to the ground before being carried off the floor. The injury was diagnosed as a re-aggravation of his bruised right heel, an injury that has plagued him all season long. Mike Wells reported that Granger is expected to get an MRI today and that he left the arena last night with a walking boot on his right foot.

Asked about the injury, coach Jim O'Brien said that Granger was "a key guy". Thanks, Jim. The blue and gold have three days off until they play a Greg Oden-less Portland on Wednesday. Granger, who has only been playing in games and not practicing for several weeks as he tries to rest the heel, would presumably be smart to take some time off to get this thing fixed. At this point, the team is in such disarray that him playing on a bum heel and not getting any better doesn't make much sense. Hopefully we'll learn more today or Monday.

Check out the jump for more links.

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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.

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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.

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