The Indiana Pacers will go into tonight’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks missing five players, and the list includes several rotation names and one player whose status was misreported elsewhere.
Ivica Zubac, Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, Johnny Furphy and Ben Sheppard are all out for the game.
Rick Carlisle addressed the group during his pregame media session and offered the latest on each situation, starting with Zubac. The big man left Sunday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets in the first quarter with a sprained ankle, did not return, and was later seen leaving the arena on crutches.
His X-rays were negative, and Carlisle said Monday night that Zubac walked into the arena without a boot, wearing sneakers and showing only a slight limp. He also said the swelling was better after a lot of treatment, though there is still no timetable for his return.
Nembhard was added to the injury report this afternoon and had been listed as questionable, but Carlisle said he will not play against Milwaukee because of a back issue the team is trying to work through. The Pacers’ social media page listed him as questionable with neck soreness, and there was no timeline given for what comes next.
Sheppard did not travel with the team to Milwaukee. He stayed in New York and will undergo surgery on his torn meniscus on Wednesday. Carlisle said he will rejoin the team at the appropriate time, which could be this Thursday or Friday.
McConnell still has not appeared in a game for Indiana this season. His injury goes back to the start of training camp, and there has been no update on when he might be available.
Furphy has also been ruled out, but not for the season despite reports to the contrary on some sites. He is working back from the ACL tear he suffered in early February against the Toronto Raptors last season.
There is still no timetable, but the expectation remains that he will be cleared to play sometime this season. The usual recovery window for a torn ACL is 9-12 months.
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