Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan will not be calling plays from the sidelines during Thursday night's road game against the Golden State Warriors, as he's been excused from the team for personal reasons.
According to an official report from the Pacers, assistant coach Dan Burke will serve as acting head coach against the Warriors:
The Pacers will be without head coach Nate McMillan tomorrow night, due to personal reasons. Assistant coach Dan Burke will be acting head coach against the Warriors. https://t.co/fE2LiHq7LZ
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 20, 2019
The Pacers (44-28 and 4th in the Eastern Conference standings) are right in the middle of this season's playoff picture, despite the fact that they've lost Victor Oladipo for the remainder of this season due to a knee injury. Currently, they're just 2.5 games behind the 3rd-seeded Philadelphia 76ers and 9.5 games behind the conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks.
Some experts and analysts believe Nate McMillan should be included in Coach of the Year conversations. Through a season of ups and downs, his team is still in contention.
Though they'll be without McMillan, Indiana will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak on Thursday night. The Warriors, who are the defending champions and leaders of the Western Conference, won't make it easy for them, though. Facing Golden State is always a tough task, but the Dubs have went 7-7 over their last 14 games, so the Pacers could have a shot at getting back into the win column.
Thursday night's Pacers-Warriors game is scheduled to tip inside ORACLE Arena at 10:30 p.m. ET.
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