The Pacers were so short-handed Monday night that they barely had enough bodies to get through the game, let alone compete with Atlanta. With Obi Toppin and Kelly Oubre Jr. ruled out, Indiana was left with just six healthy players, and every one of them had to shoulder a massive load. Jarace Walker led the way with 45 minutes, while the other five each logged at least 35.
Even in a 108-104 loss, Rick Carlisle came away impressed. The Pacers pushed the Hawks to the finish, and Carlisle praised the effort from Walker, Jalen Slawson, Jay Huff, Quenton Jackson, Braden Smith and Kobe Brown - a group that would not be part of the starting five once the roster is whole again. He called the performance “inspirational,” according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
“These guys all played too many minutes,” Carlisle said, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “But they played their hearts out. … The guys left everything out there and our fans got their money’s worth, even though we weren’t able to win the game.”
There is at least some relief ahead for Indiana. Reynolds noted that some of the unavailable players are dealing with injuries that could keep them sidelined for weeks or longer, while others were late scratches or were held out because the Pacers were on the second night of a back-to-back. Unless more injuries hit, the team should not be this thin again anytime soon.
The roster crunch is also temporary in another sense. Indiana cannot currently add a 15th player because of its position near the hard cap, but that changes later this week. Starting Thursday, the Pacers will be able to sign a free agent to a prorated minimum-salary contract without going over the first tax apron.
Around the Central Division, Cavaliers wing Peyton Watson missed Monday’s game against Oklahoma City with tightness in the same right hamstring that cost him a big chunk of last season, including the playoffs. Kenny Atkinson said the team is “not overly concerned” about the issue, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Watson’s absence opened the door for rookie Meleek Thomas to make his first career start, and he made it count. Thomas had started the season outside the rotation, but he has quickly worked his way into a regular role. Against the Thunder, he posted a career-high 17 points and five rebounds in a loss, drawing strong praise from Atkinson.
“Guy’s gonna be really good,” Atkinson said, according to Fedor. “Gonna be a heck of a player. We found a guy that can really help us.”
In Chicago, Bulls center Nic Claxton is getting closer to his season debut after dealing with a hamstring issue. He was listed as doubtful before Monday’s game in Philadelphia, then was ruled out, but Tiago Splitter said Claxton went through a full practice Sunday, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
When asked whether Claxton might return during the Bulls’ upcoming three-game homestand, which begins Sunday against the 76ers, Splitter answered, “It could be, yeah.”
In Other News...
Pacers Injury Crisis Just Hit A Historic Low In Atlanta
The Pacers injury situation reached a brutal new level in Atlanta, where they were forced to play with only six available players because 11 were sidelined. Even in a league that has seen its share of depleted lineups, that kind of shortage leaves little margin for error, and Indiana still managed to stay in the game before falling 108-104 to the Hawks.
Jay Huff led the way with 22 points, but the bigger concern is how long this patchwork rotation may have to hold together. Tyrese Haliburton is expected to miss about two weeks with a left hamstring strain, and Ivica Zubac remains out with a left ankle injury, leaving the Pacers to keep piecing together answers while the injury list keeps growing. [Read more 🡒]
Braden Smith Just Gave Pacers Fans A Reason To Pay Attention
The early-season rookie spotlight has already started to shift, and Braden Smith has put himself right in the middle of it. In the Nov. 2 slate, the first-year guard turned in one of the most eye-catching performances among the leagues newcomers, giving Pacers fans a fresh reason to keep tabs on how this class is developing. For a team always looking for young talent to pop, it was the kind of night that stands out even in a crowded field of first-year standouts.
Smith was part of a broader wave of rookies making noise across the league, with several first-round names and second-round picks turning in strong box scores against a variety of opponents. But for Indiana, the attention naturally narrows to how Smiths play fits into the bigger picture, especially when a rookie guard starts showing the kind of production that gets noticed beyond just one game. The next question is whether this was a one-night surge or the start of something more meaningful for the Pacers. [Read more 🡒]
Quenton Jackson Is Giving The Pacers A Rotation Question They Needed
Injuries have forced the Pacers to look deeper into their backcourt, and Quenton Jackson has answered with the kind of stretch that can change a coachs calculus. With Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell all unavailable at various points, Jackson has seen his role expand, and he has made the most of it by bringing more scoring, activity on the glass and defensive disruption to a team that has needed help wherever it can find it.
Over his last three games, including his first start of the season, Jackson has looked more comfortable as a creator and more reliable as a two-way option. The Pacers are still working through an uneven season, but his recent play has given them something useful to evaluate: whether a guard who was once just filling minutes can become part of the answer when the rotation gets healthy again. [Read more 🡒]