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The Pacers begin a five-game road trip at the Golden State Warriors in the first meeting between the teams since the Pacers ran past the Dubs at the Fieldhouse last season.
In that game, Roy Hibbert took exception to some physical play by David Lee who in turn shoved Hibbert and started a scrum that had Hibbert throwing Stephen Curry around like a rag doll. The skirmish spilled into the crowd but fortunately, nothing escalated to what could be classified an actual fight.
Still, all of the key parties sans Jarrett Jack, will be at the O tonight for the game. The Warriors are rolling with a solid defensive mindset under Mark Jackson to compliment the offense provided by their bombs-away backcourt. Golden State is 13-4 since Andre Iguodala returned from injury and with Andrew Bogut in the middle provide a tough starting matchup for the Pacers.
The Pacers are playing at a high level after rolling through four games at home and seeing their bench deliver big contributions with Danny Granger starting to find his stride in a reserve role. But defense is what makes the Pacers win and they will need to keep Hibbert out of foul trouble to protect the rim so the perimeter players can pressure the GSW wings with some backside coverage.
The game tonight will be broadcast to a national television audience on TNT.
For more on the Warriors, check out Golden State of Mind. Also, leave your thoughts and observations on the game in the comments.