Warriors at Pacers
THE STORY: The Golden State Warriors have a chance to turn their season around coming out of the All-Star break, presuming they can find a way to win on the road. The Warriors, who began a six-game road trip with a 106-104 victory at Phoenix before the break, head East for five games, beginning at the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. The Warriors gained some momentum with Monta Ellis’ game-winning jumper against the Suns but also lost Stephen Curry to a foot injury in the contest. The Pacers strolled into the break winners of four straight, though the competition was not exactly playoff-caliber.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CS Bay Area (Warriors), FS Indiana (Pacers)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (13-17): Golden State is 4-8 on the road and will face playoff contenders Philadelphia and Atlanta before the current trip is finished. The Warriors have managed to win two straight and five of their last eight games despite allowing an average of 100.3 points in that span. Curry left Wednesday's game in the second quarter with a sprained ligament in his right foot, but hopes to play Tuesday. Golden State elected to rest him this weekend, making Curry unavailable to defend his title in the All-Star Skills Competition. Ellis has been on fire recently, averaging 30.3 points in the last three games while going 10 for 17 from 3-point range. Instead of settling for the 3-pointer Wednesday, Ellis drove in and stopped, pulling up for an 18-foot fadeaway jumper in the final second.
ABOUT THE PACERS (21-12): Indiana looked as though it was fading away with a five-game slide but managed to lift itself back up by picking on the little guys. The Pacers beat the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats twice, the Western Conference-worst New Orleans Hornets once and the New Jersey Nets (10-25) once during their current four-game winning streak. Indiana will see the Hornets again Saturday before things get more difficult. The Pacers have scored more than 100 points in the last three games - matching their longest such streak of the season - and got 55 points from the reserves in Wednesday’s 102-88 victory at Charlotte. Indiana sits fifth in the Eastern Conference and is at its best when it can lock down on the defensive end. The Pacers did just that in the first meeting with Golden State, scratching out a 94-91 victory in Oakland on Jan. 20.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Indiana center Roy Hibbert collected three points and three rebounds in 10 minutes during Sunday’s All-Star Game.
2. The Pacers have taken the last two and five of the last eight in the series.
3. Ellis has averaged 20.8 points in 11 career games against Indiana, including 25 in the Jan. 20 meeting.