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Pacers return home to face struggling Pistons

Jan 14, 2009 - 11:26 AM Detroit (22-14) at Indiana (13-25) 7:00 p.m. EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Danny Granger's heroics have not been enough to keep the Indiana Pacers out of the cellar.

Granger and company will return home to Conseco Fieldhouse and attempt to snap a three-game slide when they face the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

The Pacers are coming off a 1-4 road trip through the West Coast that dropped their record away from home to 6-16. While its home record is a more respectable 7-9, Indiana has dropped three of its last four here.

Granger has done his part, however, averaging nearly 35 points over the last six games to push his season mark to 26.5 - the fourth-best mark in the league. The former first-round pick has taken nicely to coach Jim O'Brien's offense, which encourages the players to shoot as often as possible.

That philosophy has made the Pacers the highest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference, averaging 104.6 points per game, but has also led to them being the worst team in the conference on defense, surrendering 107.1 per contest.

The defense has been especially bad of late, as Indiana has given up an average of 120.5 points over the last six games.

The Pistons have been struggling as well, dropping three of their last four. Detroit let one slip away on Tuesday, squandering a 78-71 lead with 4:22 left and losing to the Charlotte Bobcats, 80-78.

Richard Hamilton returned from an eight-game absence due to a groin strain against the Bobcats and managed 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 35 minutes.

Hamilton scored 28 back on December 12 to spark the Pistons to a 114-110 win over the Pacers in the last meeting between the teams. Detroit has won both of the matchups this season.