INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers used just six players due to injuries and rest in Monday night’s 108-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, marking the earliest into a season a team has used that few players in nearly 80 years.
The Pacers began the game with 11 players on the sidelines: 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). Kelly Oubre Jr. was a late scratch because of a bruised knee.
The last time a team used six or fewer players this early in the season was the Lakers in 1948, who used just five in their third game of the season, according to ESPN Research.
The Pacers started Jay Huff, Quenton Jackson, Jarace Walker and two players on two-way deals: Braden Smith and Jalen Slawson. Another two-way player, Kobe Brown, was Indiana’s lone reserve.
The loss was Indiana’s fifth straight — a result that might have been considered inevitable before tipoff. But the Pacers had reasonable hopes of ending the skid when Jackson stole the ball from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and converted a layup to get them within 106-104 with 1:36 left.
Jackson missed a 3-pointer with 43.1 seconds remaining that would have given Indiana the lead, and Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu converted a jumper with 10.2 seconds left for the final margin.
Alexander-Walker scored 34 points to lead the Hawks, who avoided the embarrassment of losing to a severely undermanned team.
Some of Indiana’s players are out for weeks while some just couldn’t go Monday, with the Pacers on the second night of a back-to-back. “Injury management,” coach Rick Carlisle said before the game.
The players who sat out have a combined salary of about $193 million, while those on the court make about $15 million.
Walker led the Pacers in minutes with 44. Jackson had the shortest time on the court for Indiana with 34 minutes.
Jackson converted a three-point play with 7:36 remaining that got the Pacers within 93-90. Atlanta responded with an 8-0 run, capped by Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointer. But Indiana made one more run, a 9-0 spurt capped by Huff’s two free throws with 2:24 left to get within two.
Indiana trailed for most of first three quarters, but never by more than 15 points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
