Jermaine O'Neal's Ankle Ready for Dwight Howard, Magic

The Pacers return to the Fieldhouse to take on the Orlando Magic on Friday. According to Pacers.com, JO's will be in the lineup to face Dwight Howard. After tweaking his ankle by stepping on C-Webb's foot Tuesday night, Jermaine sat out the debacle in D.C. last night. The Pacers have to tighten up their all-around game after getting destroyed by the Wiz. According to Carlisle:

"We can't place the whole Washington loss on J.O. not playing," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "We didn't play a good game. We know that. We've got to move forward and get ready for Orlando. They've got the same record we do (3-2). They've had two real good wins this week in very close games at home and they're going to be ready to play us."

• After a huge opening night, Dwight Howard has been solid but not spectacular. I'm sure he's looking at the Pacers inconsitent front line play and planning to get off. Both teams played on Wednesday so they'll be on even rest.
• Grant Hill is a nice story for the Magic, leading the team in scoring at 16.0 per game. It seems like he's played 20 NBA games since leaving Duke because of the injuries he's had to deal with over the past few years.
• I knew this year would be a wild ride, so it's hard to predict which Pacer team will so up against the Magic. As long as the effort and ball movement are there, the Pacers should be able to handle the Magic. If not, you may need to avert your eyes. No excuses!

(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)