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At this time a year ago, the Indiana Pacers were 29-7 and well on their way to finishing with the Eastern Conferences best record.Suddenly, that seems like a long time ago.Fast forward to the present and the Pacers are merely fighting for a playoff spot. They head into Tuesday nights game against Minnesota at 15-24, a shining example of how fast things can change in the NBA.The biggest blow, of course, came when All-Star forward Paul George broke his right leg in a gruesome injury that occurred after running into a basketball stanchion during an intrasquad scrimmage for Team USA in Las Vegas on Aug. 1. The Pacers also lost Lance Stephenson in free agency to Charlotte and have endured one injury after another since the season began.The latest scare came in a spirted 117-102 loss at Golden State on Wednesday night, when centre Roy Hibbert landed awkwardly going for a rebound and sprained his left ankle. Hibbert, who missed four games earlier this season with an injury to the same ankle, has played through the injury since.Weve been dealing with it all year, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. If a guy goes down, everybody else has to step up. Its nothing new to this season.Indeed.David West sat out the first 15 games with a sprained right ankle. George Hill (bruised left knee and sore left groin), Rodney Stuckey (sore right groin) and C.J. Watson (bruised right foot) also have missed time with various injuries.What has happened to the Pacers is one of the leagues most perplexing developments this season. It also has served as a lesson for some teams on top not to take the good times for granted.After all, a couple of bad breaks and they could be tumbling next.This game is so fragile, said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose team has gone from a perennial afterthought to the best record in the league in just a few years. Its such a delicate balance.Here are some things to watch in the NBA this week:KINGS RETURN: Cleveland is expected to get LeBron James back this week, and his return couldnt come any sooner. The Cavaliers are 1-7 since James has been out with knee and back injuries. They visit the Suns on Tuesday, Lakers on Thursday and Clippers on Friday.SOARING HAWKS: Atlanta has won eight straight and 22 of 24 games to rise to the top of the East. The Hawks hit the road for games at Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto and Chicago.BIGGEST LOSERS: About the only thing New York and Minnesota seem to be competing for is the top spot in the draft lottery. Each team has lost 15 games in a row. Its the longest single-season losing streak in Knicks history, and things are getting so bad in the Big Apple that fans are putting bags over their heads at Madison Square Garden. Minnesotas longest single-season skid is 16, which the Wolves last did during the 2009-10 season.STABALIZING PISTONS: Detroit is 8-1 since making the surprising decision to waive Josh Smith and absorb the rest of his contract. The Pistons play Toronto, New Orleans, Indiana and Philadelphia next.HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE: Oracle Arena has long been one of the NBAs loudest buildings, and the Warriors are taking advantage of it this season. They have won 14 straight and 16 of 17 at home, with the lone loss coming to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 11. Of course, theyre also 13-4 on the road. Golden State visits Utah, Oklahoma City and Houston this week. The Warriors also host Miami on Wednesday.___STAT LINE OF THE WEEKAndre Drummond grabbed 19 rebounds and Greg Monroe had 18 boards to help the Pistons beat Dallas 108-95 on Wednesday night. It was the first time Detroit had multiple players with at least 18 rebounds in the same game since Happy Hairston (31) and Walt Bellamy (20) did it against the San Diego Clippers on Feb. 8, 1969.___Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP Cheap Jordan Wholesale Shoes . He made that dream a reality Wednesday night. Olt, who grew up in Branford, Connecticut, attended UConn and made a nearly 2 1-2 hour trek to Boston a handful of times to watch the Red Sox, belted a two-run homer, one of four hit by Cubs in a 16-9 rout that completed a three-game interleague series sweep. Cheap Jordans Free Shipping . 1. Lions WR Calvin Johnson (6 REC, 101 YDS, 1 TD, 10 targets) leads receivers with 1,299 yards and 12 touchdowns, though his 118.1 receiving yards per game ranks second behind Clevelands Josh Gordon. Gordon (10 REC, 261 YDS, 2 TD, 15 targets) is emerging as a superstar, putting up huge numbers even with Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden at quarterback. http://www.cheapjordanfreeshipping.com/ . The football club recently announced an increase in season ticket prices in five of the seven categories at Investors Group Field for 2014. While most increases are in the two to three per cent range, the clubs most affordable season tickets will jump from $199 to $250 — a 26 per cent leap. Cheap Authentic Jordan Shoes . The Leafs were back on the ice Wednesday following an 10-day break. It apparently wasnt long enough, as Team Canadas 2-1 win over Latvia didnt conclude before the Leafs began practice. "I was thinking we might get a little delay, but it was nice to get out there," said Tyler Bozak of watching Wednesdays game. Cheap Jordans From China . - The New England Patriots needed help on defence so they added three experienced players at midseason.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Raptors carry a five-game winning streak into a Sunday matinee at Air Canada Centre against their Atlantic Division rivals, the New York Knicks. The Raptors havent lost since Dec. 9 and have won four straight as the host. Their most recent victory came Friday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Toronto prevailed, 110-100, over the Pistons thanks to a strong third quarter performance. Jonas Valanciunas led the Raptors with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds. Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams each netted 15 points, and James Johnson added 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Toronto, which did not lead at all in the first half. I give our bench a lot of credit, said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. They came in and did their job. Terrence Ross jumper to open the second half gave the Raptors their first lead of the game. Ross hit a floater a minute later and Amir Johnsons layup wrapped up a 12-0 Toronto run that started in the first half. A 6-0 Raptors burst later in the third gave them their first double-digit lead of the game with 5 1/2 minutes to play in the quarter. That lead would remain in double digits for nearly the rest of the game. Valanciunas scored 11 of his 17 in the period to stake the visitors to a 81-70 lead through threee.dddddddddddd The Raptors extended their lead to as much as 22 on a Williams triple at the 6:28 mark, but the Pistons attempted to make the game interesting. With 3 1/2 minutes remaining, Detroit started a 12-1 run to cut its deficit to single digits. Toronto held on for the victory. The Knicks have lost four straight and 14 of their last 15. New York is 2-12 on the road, which is the worst mark in the NBA. On Saturday, the Knicks fell at home to the Phoenix Suns, 99-90. Carmelo Anthony returned to the Knicks lineup after missing Thursdays loss in Chicago and netted 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He also pulled down 11 boards, but it was not enough. Jose Calderon added 21 points but netted just two in a fourth quarter that saw the Knicks get outscored by 10. Tim Hardaway, Jr. chipped in 16 and Jason Smith contributed 11 off the bench. An Alex Len tip-in early in the fourth capped an 11-0 Suns run that gave Phoenix a 75-68 lead. The Knicks answered with six straight points to pull within one but never went back ahead. Its going to take winning a game down the stretch to get that confidence back, Anthony said. The Raptors defeated the Knicks at Madison Square Garden one week ago. The two teams have split their last six meetings north of the border. 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