Aaron Nesmith planning to return from injury Saturday in Miami
Good news, at last, on the injury front for the Indiana Pacers. But not without ruling out another key player.
It has not been a good December for the Indiana Pacers.
They’ve lost seven straight games, dropping them to the bottom of the NBA standings — yes, even below the Washington Wizards, who blew out the Toronto Raptors by 21 points on Friday.
Although the Pacers (6-25) had no games on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day — they haven’t played on Christmas Day in more than two decades — they are in the middle of a taxing stretch that includes two back-to-backs this week.
“We got to play better,” head coach Rick Carlisle said Friday after an 18-point home loss to the Boston Celtics. “When you get a start like that, it's always going to be a challenge to sustain it. But we made some mistakes that were critical mistakes…”
The Pacers wrap up that four-game stretch Saturday night (8 p.m. ET) in Miami, though their travel was not smooth. The team’s flight was delayed nearly two hours, meaning the Pacers likely didn’t reach their hotel until close to 4 a.m. local time — with another game tipping off roughly 16 hours later.
However, there is some good news. For once.
Aaron Nesmith has been upgraded to questionable and is on track to return Saturday night, barring a last-minute setback during warmups, a league source told Fieldhouse Files. He has been sidelined since Nov. 13 with a left MCL sprain. Initially, there was concern the injury could be more serious, but Nesmith avoided significant structural damage.
In recent weeks, Nesmith has steadily increased his on-court activity. His return timeline closely mirrors last season, when an ankle injury cost him most of November and December before he returned to game action.
With the team struggling both in the standings and in spirits, any positive development figures to be a welcome lift.
That said, the Pacers will be without backup point guard T.J. McConnell, who has already been ruled out with right hamstring soreness. It is a separate issue from the left hamstring strain that sidelined him for most of the preseason and the first 10 games of the regular season.
The next player expected back is guard Ben Sheppard, who remains out with a left calf strain.
On the Miami side, the Heat have ruled out center Bam Adebayo (low back soreness) and guard Tyler Herro (right big toe contusion). Miami enters Saturday at 16-15 but has gone 2-8 over its last 10 games. The Heat are also on a back-to-back after a 15-point win in Atlanta on Friday night.
The Pacers remain in the middle of a demanding stretch beyond just the condensed schedule. Their upcoming slate includes: at Miami, at Houston, vs. Orlando, vs. San Antonio, and at Orlando.
As for me, I’ll be in Noblesville. The Noblesville Boom host the Texas Legends on Saturday (7 p.m.) and the Grand Rapids Gold on Sunday (5 p.m.).
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