MINNEAPOLIS — The injury-depleted Indiana Pacers have excluded top scorer Bennedict Mathurin from participating in their matchup against Minnesota on Sunday evening, leaving the reigning Eastern Conference champions with seven players unable to play.
Mathurin sustained a sprain to his right big toe during Indiana’s 128-103 defeat at Memphis on Saturday night, where he scored 26 points in 28 minutes. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle refrained from commenting on Mathurin’s recovery timeline before the game in Minnesota.
Rookie bench player Taelon Peter also experienced a strained right groin in Memphis and was ruled out alongside starting point guard Andrew Nembhard (left shoulder strain) and backup guard Johnny Furphy (sore left foot) for the second consecutive game.
Tyrese Haliburton, the standout guard who ruptured his right Achilles tendon during the NBA Finals, will not participate in this season. Backup point guard T.J. McConnell (left hamstring strain) and rookie guard Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction) are also sidelined with extended injuries.
Last season, the Pacers triumphed over the Timberwolves 132-130 in an overtime game on their sole visit to Minnesota, with four starters hindered by injuries and their top six scorers all unavailable by the end of the fourth quarter.
