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Kings-Pacers Preview

Mar 29, 2010 - 6:30 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Sacramento (24-50) at Indiana (27-47), 7:00 p.m. EDT

Although their overall winning streak was snapped over the weekend, the Indiana Pacers have won seven consecutive home games as they seek a respectable finish to an otherwise ugly season.

The Pacers haven't won eight straight in Indianapolis in nearly six years, but they can achieve the feat in the opener of a four-game homestand Tuesday night against the short-handed Sacramento Kings.

Indiana (27-47) had matched a season best with five consecutive victories before a 94-84 loss at Atlanta on Sunday, but the Pacers have avoided such a performance at home in recent weeks.

Their home winning streak, which equals their longest since an eight-game run to close the 2003-04 season, has included lopsided victories over playoff-bound Oklahoma City and Utah.

Danny Granger scored a career-high 44 points during Friday night's 122-106 win over the Jazz and is averaging 32.0 points during his last six at Conseco Fieldhouse, missing one win during the streak due to suspension.

"It's a process," Granger told the NBA's official Web site Friday. "Not only players, but teams, can get into a rhythm. We got our rhythm a little late."

Granger was held to 18 points on 7-of-19 shooting in Sunday's loss, but he still has a chance to help Indiana avoid its first 50-loss season since it went 28-54 in 1988-89.

The Pacers play six of their final eight games at home and have four remaining matchups with fellow non-contenders.

The Kings (24-50) certainly qualify, and Sacramento has dropped four straight overall after opening its five-game road trip with three consecutive defeats, including one at NBA-worst New Jersey.

It's unclear if star rookie Tyreke Evans will return after missing the last five games following a concussion. During Sunday's 97-90 loss to Cleveland, Evans was part of a lengthy injured list that included Spencer Hawes, Francisco Garcia and Jon Brockman and added Dominic McGuire, who suffered a season-ending foot injury in the first quarter.

Sacramento used only seven players after that but still managed to stay close to the NBA's best team, thanks in part to the first career triple-double by guard Beno Udrih, who had 18 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds while playing more than 47 minutes.

"I was really proud of our team," coach Paul Westphal said. "We were playing with one guard (Udrih) and one center (Jason Thompson) and really seven players and I thought we got a phenomenal effort from a lot of people."

The Kings fell to 7-31 on the road, but they've won five of their last seven in Indianapolis. Led by 26 points from Evans, they also beat the Pacers 110-105 at home Dec. 2.

Former Purdue standout Carl Landry will be making his first appearance in Indiana since joining the Kings in a trade last month. In two visits while playing for Houston, he averaged 19.5 points and shot 69.6 percent from the field.

Landry has averaged 21.0 points in the five games since Evans' injury, with Udrih adding 18.2 points and 11.8 assists per game in that stretch.