The injury-riddled Pacers (2-4) wrap up a two-game road trip on Monday night in Dallas against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks (4-2).
Indiana is coming off a 125-118 loss on Friday night in New Orleans that saw two more players go down with injuries. Starting wing Aaron Nesmith exited in the first half after spraining his left ankle and backup center Isaiah Jackson left after sustaining a non-contact injury to his right leg in the second half.
The team announced on Saturday that an MRI confirmed that Jackson tore his right Achilles tendon and is scheduled to undergo surgery on Monday. Jackson is the second Pacers center to tear an Achilles over the first six games of the season. James Wiseman tore his left Achilles in the season opener in Detroit.
Veteran starter Myles Turner is the only true center left on Indiana’s roster. With Wiseman and Jackson both sidelined, the Pacers will have to play smaller when Turner is on the bench. Obi Toppin has played the five at times over the past year, Pascal Siakam could also slide to center, and two-way rookie forward Enrique Freeman could see the floor. Freeman is just 6-foot-7, but has a knack for crashing the glass, leading the NCAA in rebounding last year as a senior at the University of Akron.
There’s no timeline yet for Nesmith’s injury, but he is listed as out for Monday in Dallas. Starting guard Andrew Nembhard missed Friday’s game in New Orleans due to a sore knee and is listed as questionable.
Those injuries mean more minutes for third-year guard Bennedict Mathurin and second-year wing Ben Sheppard, both of whom are off to strong starts this season. Mathurin is second on the team in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range while also getting to the line for a team-high 5.5 free throws per game. Sheppard is known best for his tenacious defense and all-out hustle, but is coming off the best offensive performance of his young career. He scored 20 points and went 6-for-11 from 3-point range on Friday in New Orleans.
The Mavericks will be on the second night of a back-to-back on Monday, as they defeated Orlando 108-85 on Sunday night.
The Mavs made a run to the NBA Finals last season, where they lost to the Celtics in five games. As long as Doncic and Kyrie Irving stay healthy, the Mavs figure to contend for a second straight Western Conference crown this season. Both their star guards are off to strong starts, with Doncic averaging 28 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists entering Sunday and Irving adding 23.3 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting an eye-popping 58.8 percent from 3-point range.
Dallas made a big splash in free agency this summer, signing long-time Warrior Klay Thompson. The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter is averaging 14.5 points and shooting 37 percent from 3-point range over his first five games with the Mavs.
Monday’s game will have a unique tip time of 9:45 PM ET (8:45 in Dallas) thanks to the NBA’s new scheduling policy. The league will not play any games on Tuesday for Election Day and instead has all 30 teams playing on Monday night. In a unique scheduling twist, the league opted to set the 15 games with staggered tip times every 15 minutes from 7:00 to 10:30 PM ET.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Bennedict Mathurin, F – Ben Sheppard, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Mavericks: G – Luka Doncic, G – Kyrie Irving, F – Klay Thompson, F – P.J. Washington, C – Daniel Gafford
Injury Report
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard – questionable (sore left knee), Isaiah Jackson – out (torn right Achilles tendon), Aaron Nesmith – out (left ankle sprain), James Wiseman – out (torn left Achilles tendon)
Mavericks: Dante Exum – out (right wrist surgery), Maxi Kleber – out (right hamstring strain)
Last Meeting
The Pacers’ offense was firing on all cylinders in a 137-120 victory in Dallas. Nine players scored in double figures as Indiana shot 53.8 percent from the field and went 18-for-39 (46.2 percent) from 3-point range, scoring 31 or more points in all four quarters.
Dallas native Myles Turner had a team-high 20 points for Indiana. Tyrese Haliburton tallied 19 points and 11 assists, while Pascal Siakam also recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin scored 19 points off the bench, but sustained a shoulder injury in the game that would force him to undergo season-ending surgery days later.
Luka Doncic had a triple-double in the loss for Dallas, finishing with 39 points on 15-of-30 shooting, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Kyrie Irving added 23 points and P.J. Washington scored 20 for the Mavericks.
Noteworthy
The Pacers swept the season series with the Mavericks last season for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign.
Turner needs 17 points to reach 8,000 points for his career. He would be the ninth player in NBA franchise history to amass 8,000 points with Indiana.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is the all-time leader in NBA coaching wins for both the Pacers and the Mavericks. Carlisle has won 290 career games in Indiana (2003-07, 2021-present) and amassed 555 victories in Dallas (2008-21).
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
The Pacers will host Franz Wagner and the Orlando Magic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7:00 PM ET.
