Jamaal Tinsley has only shot 32.8% from the floor in his last 6 games and that’s not going to get it done.  In those six games, Tinsley is averaging 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.3 steals.  If he could just improve his shooting touch, the Pacers would really improve as a team.

Jermaine O’Neal had been upset with his team’s play this season, but you can’t blame him for the team’s poor record.  O’Neal has been great in his last 7 games as he’s averaging 19.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks!  O’Neal has put the team on his shoulders and has to be happy with the trade the team made with the Warriors as it showed him that the Pacers management was not satisfied either with the teams’ performance.

Danny Granger is now in the starting lineup because of the big trade and he will make a big impact.  In his last 7 games (3 starts) he is averaging 17.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.  This is just the tip of the iceberg for Granger who will be a force for the Pacers in the near future.

The Pacers rolled in the first half as they outscored the Bulls 60-43 in the first half and then held off a strong surge by the Bulls to win this game.  The Pacers also hit the boards hard outrebounding the Bulls 47-36.  Jermaine O’Neal had a great game with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way for the Pacers.  Danny Granger had another solid start with 19 points and 3 rebounds.  Darrell Armstrong got a rare start for the Pacers (due to a Jamaal Tinsley injury) and played really well.  Armstrong wound up with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals.  Mike Dunleavy also had a very solid game with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Pacers improved to 21-20 on the season with this win.  http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270122011

Reserve point guard Keith McLeod will miss a couple of weeks with an abdominal strain.  He’s not much of a loss as he was basically just a throw-in to get the big trade finished.  They Pacers don’t have big plans for McLeod.

The Pacers played hard but just came up a tad short last night at home.  Jermaine O’Neal had a monster game with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.  Danny Granger also had a solid game with 19 points.  Jamaal Tinsley didn’t shoot well (4 of 14) but he still wound up with 15 points, 7 assists and 5 steals.

The Pacers fell to 20-20 on the season with this loss.  http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270120011