Pacers' Andrew Nembhard Downgraded Ahead of Hornets Clash with Worrying Injury

The Indiana standout had only been back for three games.

Oct 17, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) shoots the ball while Charlotte Hornets guard Seth Curry (30) defends in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

After returning for the first time in nearly a month for games against the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, and Chicago Bulls (during which Indiana went 1-2), Indiana Pacers starting shooting guard Andrew Nembhard may already be headed back to the 10-14 Pacers' bench.

Per the league's latest injury report, the 6-foot-5 Gonzaga product's status in Sunday's game against the 6-17 Charlotte Hornets has been downgraded to questionable as he manages a lingering left knee injury and also grapples with a new wrist sprain. His fellow starting wing, small forward Aaron Nesmith, remains shelved with a left ankle sprain.

Indiana shooting guard Ben Sheppard remains unavailable with a left oblique strain. Backup centers Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman are unavailable with right Achilles tendon tears.

Hot off a much-needed 132-123 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, the Pacers are hosting the 5 p.m. ET encounter. Charlotte is the exact kind of team Indiana needs to play these days. The Hornets have gone 1-9 across their last 10 contests, and are losers of their last eight in a row.

According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, the Pacers seem to be convinced that they reconnected with some fundamental element of their game in eking out the road win against Chicago on Friday.

“We did a good job at hammering away at the fundamentals of our offense that we'd kinda gotten away from lately,” All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton said. The 6-foot-5 All-Star paced the Pacers with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field (5-of-9 from 3-point range), eight assists, and two steals. "I thought it looked good today."

Indiana put on an offensive showcase. The Pacers shot an excellent 52-of-92 from the field (56.5 percent), including a stunning 18-fo-30 from long range (60 percent). The Bulls, meanwhile, shot a still-solid 46-of-97 from the floor (47.4 percent), including 21-of-50 from beyond the arc (42 percent). The Pacers outscored Chicago 56-42 in the paint and held an impressive 46-34 advantage in bench points.

"We spent a lot of time this morning and really had the longest shootaround that I've had since I've been here," Carilsle remarked postgame. "We just had a lot of things that we had to clean up. One of them was our offensive spacing and movement."

More Pacers: Rick Carlise Reveals What's 'Different' With Indiana From Last Season