Larry Ness' 20* Eastern Conf Game of the Month (2-0 Tues sweep / won 20* in Nov!)
My 20* is on the Ind Pacers at 7:05 ET. The Bulls exploded against the Sonics last night, winning 123-96. However, let's NOT forget that the Bulls rank dead-last in FG percentage (40.6), 29th (of 30) in scoring and 26th in 3-point percentage. The major culprits have been starting guards Gordon and Hinrich. Gordon's average is down from 21.4 PPG to 18.1 and his FG percentage has dropped from a career-high 45.5 LY, to a career-low 38.8 TY. Hinrich's scoring has seen a dramatic decrease, falling from 16.6 to 10.6, while his shooting percentage has fallen from 44.8 to a 35.9! The Pacers have struggled some TY at 10-11 but I like the nucleus of this team when healthy (they are tonight). Indiana got caught by a motivated Cleveland team last night (LeBron's return after a five-game absence) and also saw the Cavs shoot "lights out," making 54.7 percent (9-of-18 on threes) as a team. Case in point was Larry Hughes, averaging just 12.4 PPG, getting 36 (13-of-17 FGs!). Anyway, Indiana's getting excellent performances TY from SF Granger (17.6-5.9) and swingman Dunleavy (16.8-5.7), while centers Murphy (11.5-6.6) and Foster (7.0-9.5) form a solid duo. PF O'Neal (15.1-7.8) has battled injuries (as usual) but 6-9 Memphis rookie Williams (9.8-4.0) has filled in nicely. PG Tinsley (14.6-4.6-8.70 has off-court but NOT on-court problems, while SG Daniels (8.9) has been solid. Note that both teams played last night and that the Bulls are 0-4 SU and ATS in the 2nd contest of back-to-back games, while the Pacers are 4-2 SU and ATS in that role. Let's also point out that the Bulls are 3-7 SU and ATS on the road TY and 1-7 ATS as a dog! Eastern Conf Game of the Month 20* Ind Pacers.