The Indiana Pacers played just six players in a 108-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, with 11 players sidelined — about 93% of the team’s payroll, per ESPN. It was the fifth straight defeat for Indiana, but nearly a historic upset.
Jay Huff (Credits: ESPN)
Pacers Play Just Six Players vs Hawks, First Since 2004
Head coach Rick Carlisle went into the night expecting seven available players, calling Indiana’s injury situation “a perfect storm” of bad luck. Then Kelly Oubre Jr. was a late scratch with a bruised knee, dropping the roster to six. The rest of the sidelines included Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), Pascal Siakam (rest), Johnny Furphy (knee), T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Larry Nance Jr. (illness), Andrew Nembhard (cervical), Aaron Nesmith (hamstring), Ben Sheppard (knee), Obi Toppin (lumbar sprain) and Ivica Zubac (ankle).
All six Pacers who played logged between 34 and 45 minutes. Jay Huff scored 22 points, Quenton Jackson added 20 and Braden Smith had 19 points and 10 assists. It was the first time since November 20, 2004 — the day after the “Malice at the Palace” — that the Pacers used only six players.
Pacers’ Six-Man Comeback Falls Short in 108-104 Loss
The undermanned Pacers cut a 15-point second-half deficit to two in the final minutes. Jackson’s steal and layup made it 106-104 with 1:36 left, but his missed three with 43 seconds remaining would have given Indiana the lead. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Atlanta with 34 points, and Onyeka Okongwu’s jumper with 10.2 seconds left sealed it.
Also Read: Cooper Flagg Exits Mavericks’ 121-105 Win Over Pacers | Bucks Troll Rays’ World Series Loss and Heat’s 0-4 Start
Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
