The Pacers have lost five of their last six games to fall to 6-10 on the season but aren't blaming their slide on anything in particular.

"We've just got to get better at winning, period," point guard T.J. Ford said. "I don't think it has anything to do with the (schedule)."

Indiana lost to Orlando on Saturday night thanks to a huge performance from Dwight Howard, after losing to Charlotte in overtime on Friday night.

"It's not just Dwight Howard," center Rasho Nesterovic said. "It's been a couple nights in a row. We just have to figure out the way to overcome this. It's as simple as that. You can talk about all the this and that, but you have to stick together as a team and start winning."

Mavericks' coach Rick Carlisle faced off against Danny Granger and the Pacers on Tuesday night and believes that the forward will be an All-Star sooner rather than later.

"The deal he just signed is a deal he deserves because he's stepped up his game every single year," Carlisle said. "He gained my confidence very early as a rookie. He's going to be an All-Star player. He may be an All-Star this year if he continues at this pace. Their team is going to be good in the East."

Granger, who was coached by Carlisle in his first two NBA seasons, signed a $60 million contract extension with the Pacers on Oct. 31.

Tracy McGrady will rest his sore left knee when the Rockets take on the Pacers on Wednesday night.

"I'm out tonight," McGrady said. "The knee is a little sore so tonight I'm taking it off.

Houston's initial course of action was to let McGrady play through the soreness.

"It's not being able to go out and play at a high level tonight because my knee is a lot sorer than normal. It's being cautious," McGrady added. "It's one game I'm sitting out and looking forward to coming back and playing the next game.

"It's all about being able to go out there and contribute and help my team win ballgames. I don't think I can be effective going out there tonight the way I feel so I'm going to take the route of not playing. I believe in my team that they can go out and win."

Rockets forward Shane Battier could make his season debut against the Pacers on Wednesday night.

He has missed the entire season with a deep bone bruise in his left ankle.

"It feels pretty good. It feels better than it did a month and a half ago," Battier said Tuesday. "I wouldn't say that I feel outstanding, but I feel good enough to finally dip my toe in the water.

"Hopefully, I wake up in the morning and feel good. So much is predicated on how good I feel in the morning. If it feels pretty good in the shootaround, I'll retire the red jacket for at least a night."

Indiana forward Danny Granger injured his left ankle on a drive to the basket that resulted in an offensive foul on Saturday night.

He went straight to the locker room but returned a little more than two minutes later in the team's loss to Miami.

"I came down on it and twisted it," Granger said afterward. "I rolled it on the inside. It's a sprained ankle, but you have to play through it, especially when it's in the fourth quarter."

The Hornets, 5-5, have been mediocre this season and appear to need help on both sides of the ball.

The loss of Jannero Pargo, who bolted for Europe this season, appears to have meant more to New Orleans than many intially thought.

Jamaal Tinsley and Stephon Marbury, both firmly entrenched in the doghouses of the Pacers and Knicks respectively, could help solve coach Byron Scott's problem.

Ten games were played in the NBA on Tuesday night, highlighted by huge performances from Chris Bosh, Troy Murphy and rookie Brook Lopez.

- Indiana 113, Atlanta 96

The Pacers (5-5) used hot shooting to defeat the Hawks (6-4) in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. Danny Granger had 34 points, Troy Murphy tallied 10 points and 19 rebounds and Rasho Nesterovic added 21 points, 7 boards and 5 assists. Indiana shot 55% from the floor, while holding Atlanta to just 43% on the night. Joe Johnson led with 25 points and 7 rebounds and Mike Bibby contributed 13 points, 5 boards and 5 assists.

Game FIC Scores

Danny Granger, Indiana ? 25.3

Rasho Nesterovic, Indiana ? 20.6

Joe Johnson, Atlanta ? 15.3

Mike Bibby, Atlanta ? 14.8

- Orlando 103, Toronto 90



The Magic (8-3) withstood a tremendous performance from Chris Bosh to down the Raptors (5-5). Rashard Lewis had 22 points and 8 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu tallied 22 points and 7 assists and Dwight Howard posted 18 points and 9 boards. Orlando hit 47% of their attempts from downtown and forced twenty-one turnovers. Bosh posted 40 points and 18 rebounds, while Jermaine O?Neal added 16 points and 10 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Chris Bosh, Toronto ? 38.5

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 18.1

Jameer Nelson, Orlando ? 14.4

Jermaine O?Neal, Toronto ? 11.0

- Miami 94, Washington 87



The Heat (6-5) lead throughout the entire second half against the Wizards (1-7) despite dominant performances by Washington?s All-Star tandem. Dwyane Wade had 19 points and 10 assists, Udonis Haslem tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds and rookie Mario Chalmers added 15 points and 6 dimes. Miami outrebounded Washington by five and limited them to 41% shooting. Antawn Jamison led by 25 points and 12 rebounds and Caron Butler contributed 21 points and 12 boards.

Game FIC Scores

Antawn Jamison, Washington ? 26.4

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 17.3

Caron Butler, Washington ? 16.1

Udonis Haslem, Miami ? 14.0

- Dallas 100, Charlotte 83

The Mavericks (4-7) used a 28-10 edge in the first quarter to knock off the Bobcats (3-7). Dirk Nowitzki had 32 points and 9 rebounds, Josh Howard tallied 21 points and Jason Terry added 15 points off the bench in the win. Dallas shot 50% from the field and outrebounded Charlotte by sixteen. Rookie D.J. Augustin posted 21 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while Raymond Felton added 11 points and 3 steals.

Game FIC Scores

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas ? 19.6

D.J. Augustin, Charlotte ? 15.6

Erick Dampier, Dallas ? 13.8

Gerald Wallace, Charlotte ? 7.8

- Boston 110, New York 101



The Celtics (9-2) used an 11-point advantage in the second quarter to beat the Knicks (6-4) on Tuesday night in Boston. Paul Pierce had 22 points and 8 rebounds, Kendrick Perkins tallied 16 points and 8 boards and Rajon Rondo added 15 points, 8 boards and 7 assists. Boston shot 53% from the floor and outrebounded New York by nine. Wilson Chandler continued to break out with 23 points and 7 rebounds, while Zach Randolph contributed 18 points and 8 boards.

Game FIC Scores

Rajon Rondo, Boston ? 18.3

Kendrick Perkins, Boston ? 14.5

Chris Duhon, New York ? 14.0

Nate Robinson, New York ? 11.8

- Cleveland 106, New Jersey 82



The Cavaliers (8-2) endured a double-double by rookie Brook Lopez in their win over the Nets (4-5). LeBron James scored 31 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished 5 assists. Mo Williams tallied 16 points, 6 boards and 6 dimes for Cleveland, who outrebounded New Jersey by eleven and limited them to just 36% shooting. Devin Harris scored 23 points, Lopez had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Vince Carter contributed 12 points and 7 assists in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 16.1

Maurice Williams, Cleveland ? 15.9

Brook Lopez, New Jersey ? 12.9

Devin Harris, New Jersey ? 9.6

- Memphis 109, Sacramento 94

The Grizzles (4-7) ended a four-game losing streak with a big win over the Kings (4-8) on Tuesday night. Rudy Gay had 22 points and 8 rebounds and Hakim Warrick added 21 points and 9 boards. Memphis shot 54% from the field and outrebounded Sacramento by thirteen. John Salmons led with 18 points, rookie Jason Thompson posted 12 points and 9 rebounds and Beno Udrih added 11 points and five assists against Memphis.

Game FIC Scores

Rudy Gay, Memphis ? 20.8

Beno Udrih, Sacramento ? 15.0

Hakim Warrick, Memphis ? 12.9

Spencer Hawes, Sacramento ? 10.9

- Denver 114, Milwaukee 105



Linas Kleiza scored 25 points off the bench as the Nuggets (7-4) easily handled the Bucks (5-7) despite their strong fourth quarter. Carmelo Anthony 17 points and 5 rebounds and Chauncey Billups added 11 points and 5 assists. Denver shot 50% from the field and forced eighteen Milwaukee turnovers. Charlie Bell led with 25 points and Austin Croshere tallied 17 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Carmelo Anthony, Denver ? 14.4

Austin Croshere, Milwaukee ? 14.0

Charlie Bell, Milwaukee ? 13.3

Linas Kleiza, Denver ? 11.6

- Golden State 111, Portland 106



Anthony Morrow continued his hot streak with 25 points as the Warriors (5-6) knocked off the Blazers (6-5). Stephen Jackson posted 20 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists and Andris Biedrins tallied 17 points and 9 boards in the victory. Golden State attempted six more free throws and forced twenty-one Portland turnovers. Greg Oden led with 22 points and 10 rebounds and Brandon Roy contributed 22 points and 9 assists for the Blazers in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Brandon Roy, Portland ? 20.3

Andris Biedrins, Golden State ? 18.0

Anthony Morrow, Golden State ? 16.6

Greg Oden, Portland ? 16.0

- L.A. Lakers 116, Chicago 109



The Lakers (8-1) withstood a late rally by the Bulls (5-6) to bounce back from their first loss of the season. Pau Gasol had 34 points and 6 rebounds, Kobe Bryant posted 21 points and 6 assists and Andrew Bynum added 18 points and 9 boards. Los Angeles held Chicago to 43% shooting and forced twenty-two turnovers. Derrick Rose tallied 25 points and 9 assists, while Ben Gordon scored 23 points and grabbed 5 rebounds for the Bulls.

Game FIC Scores

Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers ? 20.0

Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers ? 20.0

Derrick Rose, Chicago ? 19.5

Tyrus Thomas, Chicago ? 10.9

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Pacers' coach Jim O'Brien has stressed fundamentals to his young team early this season.

"It's everything we've been working on since the first day of practice," O'Brien said. "Nothing has changed. We're just not consistently executing the fundamentals of the game of basketball. The same fundamentals that every team no matter what age is working on. Proper passing, proper screening, reversing the basketball, defensive stance."

O'Brien stopped drills in practice Monday to remind his team to box out. Indiana has been outrebounded on the offensive end by more than one per game this season.

"It's up to the five people on the court. Somebody needs to hit a good rebounder, and everybody needs to pursue," O'Brien said.

Pacers' center Jeff Foster has seen his offensive production increase in the early part of the 2008-09 season.

He's averaging 11.6 points the past five games after working hard this summer to become more effective on that end of the floor.

"He worked hard this summer not only on continuing to shoot well from the outside but being a better finisher around the basket," Coach Jim O'Brien said.

"Sometimes Jeff would drive the ball or post up and seemed almost like he was flinging the ball up instead of concentrating and seeing the ball go into the basket."

If the Pacers buyout the contract of Jamaal Tinsley, the Bobcats reportedly would like to explore signing the point guard.

Peter Vecsey wrote on Sunday that there have been exploratory talks between Charlotte and Tinsley's agent.