The injury depleted Pacers just couldn’t keep up with the Kings tonight. Danny Granger led the way for the Pacers with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocked shots. Kareem Rush got a rare start and he had a good game. Rush finished up with 22 points and 4 rebounds. Mike Dunleavy pitched in with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Stephen Graham only played 18 minutes off of the bench but he finished with 15 points and 3 rebounds. The Pacers are now 18-23 on the season after this loss.

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The Pacers have lost power forward/center Jermaine O’Neal for at least the next two weeks with a bruised left knee. O’Neal has played in 33 games so far this season for the Pacers and he is averaging 31.3 minutes, 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 blocked shots per game. Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster will likely pick up O’Neal’s minutes while he is out. Murphy has played in 35 games this season and he’s averaging 25.9 minutes, 10.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Foster has played in 37 games this season and he is averaging 22.6 minutes, 5.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The Pacers will miss O’Neal on the defensive end more than the offensive end as Murphy has some skills.

Jeff Foster has been one of the best backup centers in the NBA for some time now and this season has been no different. Foster has played in 32 games so far this season and he is averaging 23.3 minutes, 5.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Most of his shots come from close range as he’s shooting 49.7% from the floor this season. Foster would be good enough to start for a lot of teams based on his rebounding and toughness alone and the Pacers are lucky to have him.