Pacers Injury Report: Key Perimeter Pieces to Miss Hornets Game

Indiana will be without some core contributors on Friday night.

Nov 7, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; A closeup view of the Indiana Pacers logo on their warm up shirts prior to the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. The Hornets defeated the Pacers 122-100. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images / Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have announced two surprise late absences for their matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, slated to tip off at 7 p.m. ET.

Per Indiana's official X account, small forward Aaron Nesmith will sit out with his lingering left ankle sprain and reserve point guard T.J. McConnell is out with a non-COVID-19 illness, Nesmith has missed the last two bouts for the Pacers with the ailment, though the issue is not expected to linger too much longer.

Big men Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman of course remain done for the season with their Achilles tendon tears. Given that Wiseman's minimum contract with Indiana is non-guaranteed this year, so it seems likely that he will be cut loose. The injury-prone former No. 2 overall draft pick lasted less than one game with his new squad before incurring the ailment.

With Nesmith on the shelf again, rising wing Bennedict Mathruin will get the Pacers' starting small forward nod for the third straight game, the Pacers have revealed. His scoring acumen, should it continue at its current clip, could give head coach Rick Carlisle pause when it comes to relegating him back to a sixth man, microwave scorer role when Nesmith is cleared to come back.

He'll join Indiana's normal other starters in All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton, shooting guard Andrew Nembhard, two-time All-NBA power forward Pascal Siakam (who seems well on his way to at least a third All-Star appearance this year if Indiana can keep winning and Haliburton's shooting woes continue), and 3-and-D center Myles Turner.

The Hornets, too, will be without some critical pieces.

Charlotte starting forward Miles Bridges is sidelined with a right knee bone bruise, per a Hornets X post. Shooting guard DaQuan Jeffries is out with a right hand fracture, while centers Nick Richards (right first rib fracture) and Mark Williams (left foot tendon strain) both remain indefinitely shelved. Second-year forward Brandon Miller, shooting guard Nick Smith Jr., and power forward Grant Williams are available to play for the 3-5 Hornets on Friday.

Indiana is hoping to improve to a record above .500. It has gone 3-1 in its last four bouts, after stumbling to a 1-3 start. The contest is in Charlotte, where the home team has gone 2-3. The Pacers, meanwhile, are also 2-3 on the road. Something's got to give.

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