Pacers Rule Out Another Starter vs. Undermanned Raptors

The Indiana Pacers will be without Myles Turner on Monday night as they take on the Toronto Raptors

Feb 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Myles Turner will not play Monday night against the Toronto Raptors.

The Indiana Pacers have ruled out the 6-foot-11 center with right calf soreness following a 40-minute outing against the Miami Heat on Sunday. It'll be the second game Turner has missed this season.

It's the latest blow for a Pacers team that's dealing with a slew of injuries this season.

Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Ben Sheppard, James Wiseman, and Isaiah Jackson have all been ruled out for Indiana. It leaves the Pacers without any of their regular centers and will force Indiana to play small on Monday.

Toronto remains without Scottie Barnes, Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown, Ja'Kobe Walter, and Immanuel Quickley. Bruno Fernando is day-to-day with an ankle injury that'll keep him sidelined Monday night.

Without Fernando, the Raptors plan to use Jonathan Mogbo as a small-ball center off the bench. The rookie forward has seen spot minutes at the position, but will be called on Monday to go against an undersized Pacers second unit.

"The good thing about Jonathan is that he's versatile, that he can cover both positions, four and five," Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said pre-game of how Toronto plans to deploy its bench without a traditional center. "It's going to be about how we pressure the ball. It's going to be about how we rebound the ball. We got to really focus on that. That's going to be a big one for us tonight.”

Toronto is expecting to have an update on Barnes' orbital fracture on Tuesday.