The Indiana Pacers are riding a four game winning streak, but they'll have their hands full tonight with Chris Paul leading the New Orleans Hornets into the Fieldhouse. It seems like a season or two ago since the Pacers thumped the Hornets at New Orleans earlier this year. Payback could be painful tonight, but that's why they play 48 minutes.
Here's Bruno's Scouting Report which reports that Jermaine O'Neal is "very, very close" to playing again. Sounds like he's not close enought to suit up tonight, but it wouldn't shock me to see a surprise appearance from #7 tonight.
Check out Hornets 247 and @ The Hive for the New Orleans perspective. Also, check out my Q&A over at @ The Hive.
Here's what the efficiency numbers say:
| Team | Pace | Off.Eff. | Def.Eff. |
|---|---|---|---|
| IND | 96.0(3rd) | 107.5(18th) | 109.3(16th) |
| NO | 88.2(27th) | 113.0(6th) | 106.6(5th) |
Projected Starters
| PACERS | pos. | HORNETS |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Dunleavy | F | Peja Stojakovic |
| Jeff Foster | F | David West |
| Troy Murphy | C | Tyson Chandler |
| Danny Granger | G | Mo Peterson |
| Flip Murray | G | Chris Paul |
Feel free to leave your thoughts on the game in the comments.