Earlier this season, the Indiana Pacers twice took advantage of Devin Harris' absence to beat the New Jersey Nets. Now, the Pacers are the team that's short-handed, but they're not letting other clubs take advantage of them.
Despite a viral infection that has spread through its starting lineup, Indiana will be seeking its fourth win in five games Tuesday when it hosts the Nets and a healthy Harris.The Pacers (10-17) beat the Nets (13-14) once on each team's home court in November, winning 98-80 at Conseco Fieldhouse on Nov. 8 and 98-87 in New Jersey four days later. Harris, whose 23.8 points per game lead the Nets, missed both of those contests and a loss at Miami in between due to a sprained left ankle. New Jersey won nine of 12 games upon its point guard's return, but has since dropped six of eight.
Meanwhile, Indiana is currently playing some of its best ball of the season despite being severely undermanned. Starters Marquis Daniels, Danny Granger and Troy Murphy have all missed the last two games due to a viral infection and their status remains uncertain. Swingman Mike Dunleavy, who averaged 19.1 points per game in 2007-08, has yet to play this season because of a bone spur in his right knee and finally returned to practice Monday.
Without those key players, the Pacers have managed to win three of their last four games including a 95-94 victory Saturday at Philadelphia. T.J. Ford scored a team-high 25 points, and hit the game-winning 15-foot jumper with 3.9 seconds remaining.
"We're going to play hard no matter what," Ford said. "We have confidence in each other. We've had problems closing out games so this was a big win for us."
Only four players came off the bench for Indiana, but three of them scored in double figures. Jarrett Jack and Travis Diener had 12 points apiece, while Josh McRoberts added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Ford also led the Pacers in the Nov. 12 win at New Jersey, scoring 18 points with nine assists and eight rebounds. The Nets' Vince Carter had a game-high 28 points in that contest, and also led all scorers with 31 points in the Nov. 8 matchup.
New Jersey didn't put any impressive numbers on the scoreboard Monday night, managing a season-low 13 points in the first quarter en route to a 114-91 home loss to Houston. Keyon Dooling scored 17 points for the Nets, while Carter, Harris and Yi Jianlin added 10 apiece but combined to shoot 11 of 37 from the floor.
It was the second straight loss and sixth in eight games for New Jersey.
"This was a tough one," Carter said. "This was a tough night for us. We definitely needed a win. This was an opportunity for us to see where we are and how far we have come."
Harris' 10 points were a season low, and his and Carter's combined 20-point output was less than half their average of 46.2 - tops among the NBA's starting backcourt duos.
