Pacers’ Nesmith exits with knee soreness, Bulls’ Terry eyes larger role, Pistons list key starters as questionable
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PHOENIX — Indiana forward Aaron Nesmith left Thursday night’s matchup against the Suns after his left leg buckled while he settled into a defensive stance early in the third quarter. The 24-year-old was helped to the locker room and was ruled out with what the team called knee soreness.
Head coach Rick Carlisle said preliminary evaluations pointed to a less-than-catastrophic injury, though Nesmith is expected to miss time. “It looks like we may have dodged a bullet,” Carlisle told reporters. Nesmith, who left the arena with a noticeable limp and ice on the knee but without crutches, has shouldered a larger scoring load and remains Indiana’s most versatile defender, according to Carlisle.
The Pacers were already down seven players Thursday and fell by 35 points, dropping to 1-11 on the season. Rookie forward Jarace Walker’s shooting slump continued; after going 0-for-10 in Phoenix and 1-for-8 in Utah, his field-goal percentage dipped to 29.7 percent. Walker lost his starting spot Tuesday following seven consecutive starts.
Bulls
Second-year guard Dalen Terry entered the year anticipating a bigger place in the rotation, but he has appeared in only seven of Chicago’s first 11 games and is averaging 5.9 minutes. Without a rookie-scale extension, Terry is headed toward restricted free agency yet insists he is keeping perspective.
“With this being a contract year guys can go into a dark place,” Terry said. “But it’s just basketball, and we’re winning right now. So my feelings aren’t really the priority.”
Pistons
Detroit, owners of a 10-2 record and the Eastern Conference’s top spot, released a lengthy injury report ahead of Friday’s NBA Cup meeting with Philadelphia. Guards Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren and forward Isaiah Stewart are listed as questionable, while rookie Ausar Thompson and veteran Tobias Harris have been ruled out.
Source: Hoops Wire
