Pacers at Grizzlies
The Indiana Pacers will try to press on without star guard Victor Oladipo when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. Oladipo, an All-Star for the first time last season and the team's current leader in points (18.8) and steals (1.7), was lost for the season due to a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee suffered during Wednesday's 110-106 win over Toronto.
The injury sent shockwaves through the league and could alter the race in the Eastern Conference, which sees Indiana just three games out of first place entering Saturday. "It's unfortunate. He's a special player and a special person," coach Nate McMillan told reporters Wednesday. "It will be tough, but we have to continue to move on." At the very least, the Pacers get a soft landing spot after the injury by taking on a Grizzlies team that has lost eight in a row and is only making headlines for if and when it will trade longtime stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. Those two combined for 27 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in Friday's 99-96 loss to Sacramento, the fourth consecutive home defeat for Memphis.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, FS Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE PACERS (32-15): Indiana is expected to put Tyreke Evans into the starting lineup to replace Oladipo and backups Aaron Holiday and Edmond Sumner should see increased roles. "I feel I can play at this level," Holiday, who is averaging 5.1 points in 28 games, told reporters at Friday's practice. "Obviously getting some games under my belt helped with that. I'm just going out and playing my game pretty much." Evans enters the starting lineup on a roll, having averaged 14.9 points in 19.9 minutes over his last seven games.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (19-30): Memphis is searching for positives amid what is now a 3-19 swoon, and Saturday's silver lining came from a pack of reserves that combined for 53 points and nine steals while sparking a solid second half. "Our bench, on that six-minute mark in the third quarter, I thought they gave us huge life, they played with a ton of energy," coach J.B. Bickerstaff told the media. "That combination of energy from [Joakim Noah] and Jevon [Carter] and JaMychal [Green], I thought they energized the building and gave us an opportunity to get back in the game." Omri Casspi led the bench with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Indiana opened the season with a 111-83 rout of Memphis behind 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from SF Bojan Bodganovic.
2. Grizzlies SG Garrett Temple (shoulder) left Friday's loss and will be getting an MRI exam on Saturday.
3. Indiana has won three straight meetings.