Pacers Notebook: Lineups, notes before Sixers-Pacers
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Already playing without star center Andrew Bynum, Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said he decided to err on the side of caution and sit his star point guard.
Jrue Holiday, averaging 18.4 points and 8.9 assists, is sidelined with a sprained foot for – at least– tonight’s game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Indiana, meanwhile, has injury issues of its own. Danny Granger, the Pacers’ leading scorer for the past five seasons, is like Bynum in that he has yet to take a dribble. Granger likely remains at least seven weeks away from a potential return.
Lance Stephenson will miss tonight’s game with a sprained right ankle. Indiana coach Frank Vogel said he might not play tomorrow at Detroit, either.
He’s a good healer, Vogel said. Not necessarily (ruling it out). We’ll see how he is.
- Without Stephenson, Vogel will stick with a three-man rotation at the shooting guard and small forward positions. He said it’s possible he would insert seldom-used rookie shooting guard Orlando Johnson. We’ll see how Gerald (Green) and Sam (Young) are playing, Vogel said. We have options.
- Philadelphia power forward Thaddeus Young is a nontraditional player for that spot, a guy who moves well, is comfortable on the perimeter and likes to drive to the basket. Indiana’s David West is stronger and likes to play in the post. Tough matchup on both ends, Vogel said.
- Vogel declined to acknowledge the harm done to Philadelphia by the absence of Holiday, saying, I don’t know if they’ll be easier to guard or not. Collins made no bones about the damage. We’ve lost our best penetrator, Collins said. We’re a team that struggles to score anyway. Collins said he expects Indiana to pressure Evan Turner, the fill-in point guard who usually starts at small forward.
STARTING LINEUPS
76ers (12-10)
SF” Nick Young
PF” Thaddeus Young
C” Kwame Brown
SG” Jason Richardson
PG”Evan Turner
Pacers (11-11)
SF” Paul George
PF” David West
C” Roy Hibbert
SG” Gerald Green
PG”George Hill
