INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers will still by far be the more short-handed team when they play the Hawks on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. However, Atlanta (2-3) will be without its franchise player and the Pacers (0-4) will at least have two of its younger players upgraded on the injury report.
Hawks All-Star and All-NBA point guard Trae Young sprained his right knee in Atlanta’s win over the Nets on Wednesday and is listed as out on Thursday’s injury report for Friday’s 7 p.m. game, the first NBA Cup group play game for the Pacers and Hawks.
Young averaged 20.8 points per game in the Hawks’ first four games before scoring six points in seven minutes prior to his injury Wednesday. The four-time All-Star and 2021-22 third-team All-NBA pick is averaging 25.2 points and 9.8 assists per game in his eighth season in the league. He led the NBA in assists last season with 11.6 per game.
Two of the eight Pacers players who were ruled out prior to their Wednesday loss to the Mavericks in Dallas have been upgraded to questionable.
Point guards Andrew Nembhard (shoulder strain) and T.J. McConnell (hamstring strain), high-scoring guard Bennedict Mathurin (great toe sprain), rim-running forward Obi Toppin (foot stress reaction), rookie guard Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction) and of course All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles tendon tear) are all still out. However second-year wing Johnny Furphy (left foot bone bruise) and rookie guard Taelon Peter (right groin strain) have made enough progress to be upgraded to questionable. The Pacers desperately need depth at both the guard and wing spots, so both will have the opportunity to enter the rotation when they return.
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