Pacers Injury Report: 5 Indiana Players Out for NBA Cup Game vs Heat

The Pacers are looking to return to the championship game of the league's in-season tournament again this year.

May 6, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) is fouled by Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) in front of Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and guards Tyrese Haliburton (0) and Andrew Nembhard (2) during the fourth quarter of game one of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are looking to return to the championship game of the league's in-season tournament — now dubbed the Emirates NBA Cup — again this year, after falling to the Los Angeles Lakers, 123-109, in last year's title bout. To do that, they'll want to beat tonight's opponent, the Miami Heat, in Indiana's first NBA Cup action of the season.

The Heat 0-1 among their five-team squad, East Group B. The Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons are both 1-0, while the Toronto Raptors are 0-1. The action tips off on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET.

Read More: Pacers vs Heat NBA Cup Preview

According to the league's latest injury report, wings Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith will be joining big men Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman on the club's bench, among Indiana's standard roster player. Nembhard remains out with a left knee patellofemoral inflammation, while Nesmith continues to deal with a sprained left ankle. Jackson and Wiseman remain out for the year, of course, with their respective Achilles tendon tears — to their right and left Achilles tendons, respectively.

Indiana will very much miss Nesmith and Nembhard's contributions on the wing, but their absence has allowed normal sixth man Bennedict Mathurin to shine. In his six starts for the Pacers (he played his first five games off the bench, behind Nesmith and Nembhard), Mathurin is averaging 23.0 points on .523/.520/.833 shooting splits, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.8 swipes a game.

Two-way Pacers signing Tristen Newton is with the Pacers' G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants (formerly the Fort Wayne Mad Ants).

Miami, meanwhile, is dealing with a host of injury absences. Six-time All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler is going to miss his third consecutive matchup with a right ankle sprain. Two Heat two-way players, shooting guard Josh Christopher and rookie small forward Keshad Johnson, are with the Heat's NBAGL affiliate, the SIoux Falls Skyforce. That said, a pair of key ailing Heat rotation players are slated to play through their respective injuries. Shooting guard Tyler Herro will suit up while playing with a right shoulder contusion. Power forward Nikola Jovic, dealing with a nasal fracture, is also available to play.

Butler is averaging a mediocre-for-him 16.1 points on .478/.154/.732 shooting splits, 4.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals a night — but in fairness, the ankle injury compelled the 6-foot-7 Marquette product to depart his last game after playing just a shade under seven minutes. That brought down his scoring output.

More Pacers: Indiana Should Be Massively Concerned With Tyrese Haliburton's Continued Struggles