It turns out the Caris LeVert absence was just the tip of the iceberg for the Indiana Pacers. The team’s official Twitter account confirmed that the Pacers are down a few key players for their inter-conference battle against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, T.J. Warren, and T.J. McConnell are all out against the Suns, in addition to the previously noted absence of LeVert.
Injury Report for tonight's game in Phoenix:
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 23, 2022
Caris LeVert – Out (sore right calf)
Malcolm Brogdon – Out (right Achilles)
Domantas Sabonis – Out (left ankle sprain)
Myles Turner – Out (left foot)
T.J. McConnell – Out (health and safety protocols)
T.J. Warren – Out (left foot) pic.twitter.com/U0TnZrIiSp
That leaves the Pacers short on starters as they take on the best team in the NBA. They dealt with similar issues against the Golden State Warriors last time out, with Justin Holiday the only regular starter in the lineup.
Goga Bitadze, Torrey Craig, Keifer Sykes, and Chris Duarte filled in for the starters and should be back in the starting lineup on Saturday night.
It’s not surprising to see the betting line where it is, as the Pacers are currently listed as +13.5 underdogs on the spread and +640 on the moneyline, per the line info from FanDuel Sportsbook.