The Pacers are staring at another brutal availability report, and this one leaves them in a dangerously thin spot for Monday’s game against Atlanta.
Eight Indiana players are already ruled out for the second night of a back-to-back, Tony Easy of Circle City Spin reports. Larry Nance Jr. is doubtful because of an illness, and Obi Toppin is questionable with a lumbar sprain.
As East notes, the Pacers need Toppin or Nance to be active Monday even if he can’t go, simply to satisfy the requirement of having eight players available. Standard roster players Jay Huff, Kelly Oubre Jr., Jarace Walker and Quenton Jackson are expected to be available, along with two-way players Jalen Slawson, Kobe Brown and Braden Smith.
That kind of shortage brings back an ugly memory from last season, when Indiana was down to so few bodies that a November 9 game against Golden State ended in a 31-point loss, East adds.
The bigger picture for the Pacers is just as bleak. They dropped to 2-5 on Sunday after losing at home to the previously winless Nets, and Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star pointed out the obvious question: with so much offense missing, who exactly can this team beat? That loss came with Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard in the lineup - and all three will sit Monday as well.
Tyrese Haliburton remains out with a left hamstring strain, T.J. McConnell is sidelined by a right hamstring strain, Johnny Furphy is recovering from right ACL surgery, Ben Sheppard is out after left meniscus surgery, and Ivica Zubac is dealing with a left ankle sprain. Indiana also doesn’t qualify for a hardship exception because it’s carrying only 14 players on its standard roster, and it can’t add a 15th man while hovering so close to its first-apron hard cap.
Elsewhere around the league, the Clippers are getting Max Strus back. Ohm Youngmisuk reports that Strus went through a 5-on-5 practice with the team’s G League affiliate in San Diego on Sunday and will make his season debut after missing the first six games with a partial plantar fascia tear in his right foot.
Brandon Ingram, who is recovering from right heel surgery, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who had right lisfranc surgery, were both assigned to the San Diego Clippers and later recalled, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, but both remain out Monday. Los Angeles will also be without Derrick Jones Jr. because of right knee soreness and Rui Hachimura because of right quad soreness after losing to Golden State on Sunday.
Kyrie Irving is trending toward missing Monday’s game against Sacramento as well. Marc Stein of The Stein Line says Dallas has moved Irving from questionable to doubtful because of left knee management.
Irving missed all of last season with a torn ACL, and the Mavericks enter Monday on a three-game winning streak. The Kings, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win at 0-6.
In Washington, the Wizards ruled out center Alex Sarr for Monday’s game against Orlando after initially listing him as questionable. The team also announced that two-way guard Reece Beekman will be reevaluated in three weeks after suffering a right acromioclavicular joint injury.
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