Indiana Pacers DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin received his second straight start on Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings. The Pacers were shorthanded with Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) sidelined and Bruce Brown being traded to the Toronto Raptors. Mathurin made the most of it by hitting 11-of-21 shots from the floor for 25 points in the win. He also added three rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in his 37 minutes of play. Haliburton is expected to return on Friday, so Mathurin will likely shift back to a role on the bench. He should continue to be a consistent option off the bench, but won't be seeing 37 minutes every night.

Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (ankle) is available ahead of Thursday's game against the Sacramento Kings. Mathurin is back after missing Monday's contest due to a left ankle sprain. He's expected to have an increased role with Aaron Nesmith (shin) sidelined and Bruce Brown being traded to the Toronto Raptors. It's uncertain whether Mathurin or Buddy Hield will move into the starting five on Thursday. Regardless, both players should have increased value with the Pacers shorthanded right now.

Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (calf) is available ahead of Thursday's game against the Sacramento Kings. The 25-year-old was questionable coming into this game after missing practice on Wednesday. Despite that, Toppin will play on Thursday and could have an increased role with Aaron Nesmith (shin) ruled out. It's worth noting that Toppin will still have to compete with Jalen Smith for playing time. Toppin should still be able to carve out decent value, but those days might be numbered with Pascal Siakam in town now.

Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (shin) has been ruled out ahead of Thursday's game against the Sacramento Kings. Nesmith was questionable coming into this game, but will ultimately miss his third game in a row. Bennedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin figure to see increased playing time with Nesmith and Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) both ruled out. Mathurin should be a fine streaming option with the Pacers shorthanded for this game.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle says Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) won't return to action against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. Though Haliburton will miss a revenge-game shot versus his former team, a return on Thursday may have been wishful thinking. As of Jan. 9, the Pacers anticipated that Haliburton's Grade 1 hamstring strain would sideline him for at least two weeks. Indiana is back in action on a short turnaround against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, so the All-Star floor general's status doesn't have much time to improve. T.J. McConnell's minutes haven't grown in Haliburton's absence as some fantasy managers may have hoped for, but Bruce Brown is now out of the mix after Wednesday's trade. Andrew Nembhard (spine), Bennedict Mathurin (ankle), and Aaron Nesmith (shin) are all questionable, so McConnell and Buddy Hield could dominate backcourt minutes on Thursday.