Last weekend's pristine injury report was too good to be true this late in the season, and now the Pacers are faced with some grim realities. Not long-term grim, not amid a season as surprisingly good as this one, but at-least-for-now grim, given their quest for homecourt advantage in the playoffs and the demands of their remaining schedule.
With backup center Domantas Sabonis already sidelined by a sprained left ankle, starting center Myles Turner doubled down on the issue by spraining his left ankle in the Pacers' 106-99 loss to Toronto at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. That left the Pacers with just one center, but Al Jefferson's time tunnel performance wasn't enough to overcome the Raptors' physical dominance and superior execution in the fourth quarter.
The Pacers put up a fight for most of the game, but any team that gets outrebounded 58-35, hits just 7-of-24 3-pointers and gets outscored at the foul line 24-12 is doomed against a conference leader that had won seven consecutive road games and 16 of its previous 17 games. The Raptors grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and scored 18 second-chance points — 14 in the second half when they overcame the Pacers' 10-point lead.
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It wasn't all because of the absence of their top two centers, though. Bojan Bogdanovic managed to play 31 minutes without finding his way to a rebound and point guards Cory Joseph and Darren Collison combined for five. Toronto center Jonas Valanciunas, meanwhile, grabbed 17 all by himself, in 27 minutes.
It all amounted to the Pacers' worst rebounding performance of the season.
"The guards have to do a better job," said Collison, who led the Pacers with 22 points off the bench. "There were a couple of times I missed a rebound. It's got to be a collective effort."
The Pacers hung on to third place in the Eastern Conference, but are just one game ahead of their opponent in Saturday’s road game, Washington. But for now, the health of their centers is a greater priority than their seed. They appear to be safely in the playoffs, and they have proven their ability to compete with the best teams in the conference when healthy. Other than Victor Oladipo, Turner and Sabonis are the least dispensable players on a team that ranked 22nd in rebounding before the game, and certainly didn’t rise in the rankings.
Turner sprained his ankle three times on Thursday. He tweaked it on offense late in the second quarter and motioned to coach Nate McMillan to sub for him. Before that could happen, though, he sprained it again on the defensive end. He retreated early to the locker room, where he was treated and tested. Jefferson started the second half, but Turner returned in time to enter the game with 9:41 left.
Turner injured the ankle one last time after former Pacer C.J. Miles — who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to lead Toronto's closing rally — drove the lane and missed a shot. Turner landed on Miles' foot and didn't go downcourt for offense after the Pacers rebounded. He was replaced by Jefferson with 4:14 left and was helped to the locker room.
Turner, according to McMillan, suffered a high ankle sprain. He was X-rayed afterward, and the results were believed to be as positive as could be expected.
"I'm assuming it's good," he said. "Nobody's panicking."
Turner was walking slowly in the locker room, but not limping badly. He offered no prediction for when he would play again.
"I have no idea," he said. "I'm walking. That's the best sign."
That's better than could have been said about Sabonis on Tuesday, when he left the arena in Philadelphia on crutches after Sixers center Joel Embiid fell on his ankle. Sabonis said before the game he was feeling better and able to put more weight on his ankle but would not guess on a return. He won't play in Washington, that much is known for sure.
The defeat and Turner's injury overshadowed a sterling and entertaining performance by Jefferson, who finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes and 19 seconds. It was Jefferson's longest playing appearance and first double-double since his seventh game as a member of the Pacers (Nov. 7, 2016).
He had sat out nine consecutive games before playing 6 1/2 minutes in Philadelphia but showed no effects of his layoff. He scored 13 points in 8 1/2 minutes in the first half, putting on a clinic for the Raptors 22-year-old, 7-foot backup center Jakob Poeltl, who had no answers for Jefferson's nostalgic play in the post.
Jefferson tired some in the second half, when he hit just 2-of-7 shots and failed to contain Toronto's pick-and-roll action at the top of the key, but still left smiles on the faces of friends and foes alike.
"He's not going to see many Al Jefferson's," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said of Poeltl. "That deliberate pump fake, the last time I saw that, Jack Sikma was doing it. Al has gotten a lot of people on those. We used to have a rule that it was a $500 fine if you took his pump fake and we got a lot of money off that over the years."
Jefferson was rewarded for his offseason diligence toward losing weight and his in-season diligence toward staying in shape when he hasn't been playing. He became a vegetarian over the summer and has continued throughout the season, despite the challenge of finding the right food on road trips. After retirement, he plans to go a step further and adopt a vegan diet.
Still, playing 25 minutes after such a long layoff wasn't easy. But while he didn't want the opportunity to come because of injuries, he's ready for more. And whatever.
"You know, 14-year vet," he said.
"I've been the best guy on the team, I've led teams to the playoffs, I've done all the things the young guys are trying to do. Right now, I'm playing a different role. My role is when they need me to step up and be ready to play.
"Don't get it twisted, I love being out there in the action. But I know my role."
His primary role now will be to rebound. He grabbed his share against the Raptors but will need more help if the Pacers are to survive the temporary loss of their two top centers. They'll inspire no sympathy around the NBA, however. Toronto was without former Indiana University forward OG Anunoby, who has started 48 games this season, and backup guard Norman Powell, whose play last season made Joseph expendable and available to the Pacers. Boston was without four starters in the second half when the Pacers won there on Sunday. Over in the Western Conference, Golden State has been playing without it starting backcourt, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
At this point, virtually every NBA team is making do without key players. And now the Pacers have rejoined the club.
"We're not the only team dealing with injuries," Collison said. "No excuses. We'll be fine."
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Mark Montieth's book, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," covers the formation and early seasons of the franchise. It is available at retail outlets throughout Indiana and online at sources such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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