Last Updated: Nov. 23 at 12:30 PM ET
Matchup
After a day off to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Pacers (11-7) return to the court on Friday night, when they welcome the San Antonio Spurs (8-9) to Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Indiana was riding high entering Wednesday's game in Charlotte, having just swept a three-game homestand despite All-Star guard Victor Oladipo missing essentially two of those contests with a sore right knee. But they came back to earth against the Hornets, as Charlotte knocked down 18 3-pointers and shot 56.2 percent from the field in a 127-109 win.
Oladipo's presence was sorely missed on both ends of the floor, but particularly on the defensive end. Indiana had held each of its opponents under 100 points during its three game win-streak, but the Hornets had 105 points by the end of the third quarter.
Oladipo will also miss Friday's against the Spurs. Both he and head coach Nate McMillan have said his status is day-to-day, but they don't want to risk rushing him back too soon this early in the season.
The Spurs are always a formidable opponent, but they have looked a little more vulnerable lately.
They still have a future Hall of Famer at head coach in Gregg Popovich and an All-Star big man in LaMarcus Aldridge and they added another scorer when they acquired second-team All-NBA guard DeMar DeRozan from Toronto this summer in the Kawhi Leonard trade.
But San Antonio has scuffled in recent weeks and appears in jeopardy of missing out on the postseason for the first time in over two decades. The Spurs have made 21 consecutive playoff appearances, the longest streak in NBA history, but are currently tied for 11th in the competitive Western Conference after dropping seven of their last nine contests.
Friday's game is the first of five straight for the Pacers against teams from the West, as they have a four-game road trip on tap next week.
Projected Starters
Pacers: PG - Darren Collison, SG - Tyreke Evans, SF - Bojan Bogdanovic, PF - Thaddeus Young, C - Myles Turner
Spurs: PG - Bryn Forbes, SG - DeMar DeRozan, SF - Rudy Gay, PF - Dante Cunningham, C - LaMarcus Aldridge
Injury Report
Pacers: Victor Oladipo - out (sore right knee), Domantas Sabonis - questionable (sprained right ankle), Myles Turner - questionable (sore left ankle)
Spurs: Pau Gasol - questionable (left foot soreness), Dejounte Murray - out (torn right ACL), Lonnie Walker IV - out (right medial meniscus tear)
The Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs are two of the four teams that moved from the ABA to the NBA in 1976. The other two teams are the Denver Nuggets and the Brooklyn (New York) Nets.
Last Meeting
October 24, 2018: The Pacers dished out 34 assists and went 17-for-32 from 3-point range as they rolled to a 116-96 win over the Spurs in San Antonio.
Victor Oladipo led all scorers with 21 points and also dished out nine assists in the victory. Tyreke Evans added 19 points off the bench, going 5-for-7 from 3-point range, while Domantas Sabonis contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner, and Doug McDermott all also reached double figures.
"When we're moving the ball like that and sharing the ball, and no one cares who is scoring, everybody gets involved and it's a beautiful game to watch," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said after the win.
DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio with 18 points in the loss. All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge added 15 points and 13 rebounds, but was just 5-for-18 from the field.
Noteworthy
- With a win on Friday, the Pacers would sweep the season series with the Spurs for the second straight season. Prior to last season, Indiana had not swept the season series with San Antonio since the 1994-95 campaign.
- The Pacers have not won two straight games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse against the Spurs since the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.
- The Spurs signed former Pacers and Mad Ants forward Ben Moore to a two-way contract on Tuesday. Moore was waived by the Pacers on Nov. 3.
Tickets
The Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to host LaMarcus Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, Nov. 23 at 8:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »
Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 107.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Please Note: Inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Pacers radio broadcasts can be heard on 1080 AM instead of 1070.
