Bennedict Mathurin sidelined for the next four games with shoulder sprain

He'll miss games against the Timberwolves, Magic, Thunder and Bulls. He's averaged 18-5-3 since the All-Star break.

Bennedict Mathurin will miss the next four games and be evaluated in one week due to a right shoulder sprain, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said before their home game on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“We hope it’s not serious,” he said. “He’s a guy that bounces back very quickly and hates misses games. So we hope it’s relatively short-term, but he will miss a week. At least.”

So the Pacers will be without their top bench player for at least one week during an important stretch of the season. They have upcoming games in Orlando on Sunday and in Oklahoma City on Tuesday before returning home to host the Chicago Bulls next Wednesday.

Missing out on playing the Thunder, and specifically against his close friend Lu Dort, will be disappointing to Mathurin.

Benn Mathurin and Lu Dort, two kids from Montreal, who made it out and remain close

Since the All-Star break, Mathurin and point guard T.J. McConnell have been the Pacers’ top performers. The team is 4-3 in those games — and Mathurin has averaged 17.7 points, five rebounds and three assists per game coming off the bench. Because of teammates Doug McDermott and Ben Sheppard missing time, Mathurin’s minutes are up about five — to 30.5 — per game.

McDermott is also unavailable on Thursday, his fifth straight game out due to a right calf strain. The Timberwolves are without Karl-Anthony Towns (left knee).

It’s not clear when Mathurin’s shoulder first bothered him. He played 25 minutes on Tuesday in their win at Dallas, including five minutes in the fourth quarter.

Mathurin has previously missed games this season due to a right great toe sprain (3), illness (1), right knee bruise (1) and left foot soreness (1). And like Myles Turner, he’s appeared in the second-most games this season: 59 of 63.

Forward Obi Toppin has played in every game this season.

The Pacers are 35-28 and eighth in the Eastern Conference so with 19 games left, they’ve now reached a critical point in the season where every game matters.