Pacers square off with Warriors in Oakland

This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season. The Pacers will host the Warriors on February 5th at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Indiana has won two of its last three at Golden State. The Pacers have captured three straight and five of the last six contests in this series.

Golden State head coach Don Nelson is just one win away from becoming just the second coach in NBA history to win 1,200 games in their coaching career. Lenny Wilkens collected 1,332 victories during his coaching career.

The Warriors are coming off of two impressive wins over the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs. On Monday, Mike Dunleavy scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half and the Warriors used a big run in the fourth quarter to deal the Spurs their first road loss of the season with a 111-102 triumph at ORACLE Arena.

Jason Richardson poured in 26 points in the win over San Antonio for the Warriors. The Michigan State product drained 4-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc. Andris Biedrins added 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Warriors, who have won seven of their last 10 games overall.

Two-time All-Star guard Baron Davis (strained right rib muscle) is expected to miss tonight’s game. Davis, who last played on November 22nd against Denver, has missed the last three contests.

The Warriors, who play the third of a four-game homestand, are 8-3 at home this season. They are scheduled to host Michael Redd and the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday in the finale of the stand.

Indiana plays the third of a six-game road trip. On Tuesday, Danny Granger poured in 21 points off the bench and Jermaine O’Neal scored 20 as the Pacers knocked off Portland, 105-97, at the Rose Garden. Granger finished 8-of-14 from the floor and pulled down five rebounds, while O’Neal pulled down eight boards and dished out six assists.

Al Harrington and Sarunas Jasikevicius both ended with 17 points, while Stephen Jackson netted 15 in the win over Portland for the Pacers, who have won four of their last six games overall.

The Pacers are 4-5 on the road this season. They will visit the Seattle SuperSonics on Friday, Denver on Saturday and the Lakers on December 4th in the last contest of the swing.