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Indiana Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis will not travel with the team to Milwaukee for their upcoming matchup against the Bucks, as he is continuing to recover from a sprained ankle.
Pacers head coach Nate McMillan shed some light on Sabonis' status during Wednesday morning's media availability:
Coach Nate McMillan says Domantas Sabonis (sprained ankle) will not travel with the team to Milwaukee.
“We’re hoping that he will be able to practice with us when we return, before Philly.” pic.twitter.com/iElwuNyP58
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 6, 2019
Though he won't be travelling with the team for Thursday's matchup in Milwaukee, McMillan is hopeful that Sabonis will be able to take part in portions of practice on Friday or Saturday. Whether or not he'll be cleared to play in Sunday's game in Philadelphia remains to be seen.
In 59 appearances with the Pacers this season (five starts), Sabonis has racked up averages of 14.3 points on 61 percent shooting from the field (57.1 percent from beyond the arc), 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 24.9 minutes per outing.
The loss of Sabonis is a tough blow for the Pacers, who are currently the 3rd-ranked team in the Eastern conference standings. It marks the fifth consecutive game he'll miss with the ailment. However, it does give other players a chance to play.
With Sabonis out of the rotation, Myles Turner will likely see an uptick in his usage rate. Kyle O'Quinn and T.J. Leaf will also see a bit more playing time.
In his last outing — a 105-96 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night — Turner recorded a double-double, scoring 10 points, 11 rebounds and a whopping seven blocks. Seven!
Thursday night's Pacers-Bucks game is scheduled to tip inside FiServ Forum at 8:00 p.m. ET, with TNT having live broadcast coverage.
