Indiana Pacers DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Miami Heat center Thomas Bryant was ejected from Friday's game against New Orleans without logging any playing time. A foul on Zion Williamson early in the fourth quarter sparked an altercation, and things got very heated between Bryant and Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado. Both players threw punches at each other and will likely receive a suspension following the incident. Bryant has played just seven games since the turn of the year, so Miami shouldn't have any issues coping with his absence. The 26-year-old big man has averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.4 minutes in 25 games for the season.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton lingered on the injury report with a hamstring issue for quite a while leading up to the All-Star break. After putting on a show for the hometown fans, Haliburton cleared the injury report and should be a full go for Thursday's matchup against the Detroit Pistons. For fantasy managers that have Haliburton in their lineup, they'll be happy to see that his first game back in action is against the lowly Pistons' defense which has allowed Haliburton to average 20 points and 13 assists per game against them this year over two games.

Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) will not be available for Thursday's game against the Detroit Pistons. The 24-year-old sustained the injury in the team's last game before the All-Star break against the Raptors. Fortunately, the injury is not as severe as initially feared, but Nesmith is still expected to miss some time, although it shouldn't sideline him for an extended period. T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin will likely see increased minutes until his return. Nesmith has been averaging 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 27.1 minutes per game this year.

The Indiana Pacers have removed center Myles Turner (illness) from the injury report ahead of Thursday's contest versus the Detroit Pistons. An illness held Turner out of Indy's final tilt before the All-Star break, but he's cleared to play in the first outing of their four-game homestand. The 27-year-old two-time blocks champion is in a great spot against Detroit, who are surrendering the fourth-most points per game (122.0) this season. Make sure Turner is inserted in all season-long fantasy lineups.

Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (lower leg) appears to have escaped serious injury. He hurt his right leg on an awkward fall following a dunk attempt in the team's final game before the All-Star break. Nesmith was limited in Tuesday's practice but could still be an option for Thursday's matchup against Detroit. "No update really other than not as bad as originally feared," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said on Tuesday. "He was limited today. He's making significant progress each day. We'll see how he's doing in a couple days." If Nesmith can't play on Thursday, Doug McDermott and Bennedict Mathurin will have to step up.