Indiana Pacers DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Indiana Pacers guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin (illness) will not play in Wednesday's contest against the Detroit Pistons. He was added late to the injury report with an illness, and Mathurin is forced to miss his second game of the season. Players like Aaron Nesmith, Jarace Walker, and Ben Sheppard should share Mathurin's minutes on Wednesday. However, none of the trio stands out as a good source of fantasy value.

Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) will return to the lineup on Thursday against Detroit, but he will have a minutes restriction. Per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has not specified what it will be. Nesmith has been out since Nov. 1, so it's no surprise Indiana wants to ease him back into action. He will probably come off the bench, which will help the team control his minutes better. Before suffering a left ankle sprain, Nesmith averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.7 minutes.

Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton (groin) will suit up against Detroit on Thursday. He has been upgraded from questionable to available, meaning Haliburton will sit out only one game due to a mild groin strain. Haliburton's presence reduces the fantasy value of Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell. Ben Sheppard might also take a hit because he started instead of Haliburton on Tuesday against Cleveland. However, with Bennedict Mathurin (suspension) unavailable, there is a possibility Sheppard remains in the starting unit for Thursday's game. Haliburton has not played well against Cade Cunningham and the Pistons this season, averaging 17.0 points and 4.5 assists.

Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) might be ready to return to the lineup on Thursday against Detroit, with the team listing him as questionable on the injury report. He has picked up the questionable tag after missing nearly 11 weeks due to a left ankle sprain. Nesmith was a starter for the Pacers early in the campaign over Bennedict Mathurin, so it will be interesting to see how the rotation works out with everybody healthy. Indiana has played well with its current lineup, going 12-4 since Dec. 8. Even if Mathurin gets bumped to the bench, he should still have a major role to play, with Nesmith's return having a much bigger impact on Ben Sheppard's playing time.

Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton (groin) is questionable to play in Thursday's matchup against Detroit. He's nursing a "mild" groin strain, which has already kept Haliburton out of one game. Ben Sheppard replaced Haliburton in the starting lineup against Cleveland on Tuesday, but he didn't do much in 32 minutes. T.J. McConnell also picked up a few extra minutes and came close to a double-double off the bench. Bennedict Mathurin (suspension) is already out for Thursday's game, so several players must step up offensively if Haliburton also can't play.