Pacers Lose 108-104 With $193 Million Roster Sitting Out
A six-player lineup led by Jay Huff could not stop the Hawks despite trailing by no more than 15 points.
By Yuna Patel ·
The Indiana Pacers lost 108-104 to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, a result driven by a severe shortage of available personnel. Indiana fielded only six players for the entire game, a roster composition that left the team vulnerable despite a late surge.
The financial gap between the bench and the floor was stark. The players who did not take the court carry a combined salary of roughly $193 million. The six men who actually played earned approximately $15 million in total. This disparity reflects a squad managed by necessity rather than strategy, with injuries and rest depleting the depth chart.
Jay Huff led the Pacers with 22 points. He played alongside Quenton Jackson, who added 20, and Braden Smith, who recorded 19 points and 10 assists. Jarace Walker contributed 15 points and played 44 minutes, the longest shift on the team. Jalen Slawson scored 12, while Kobe Brown added 16 points from the bench. Brown was the only reserve on the floor.
Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker led all scorers with 34 points. The Hawks were missing Jalen Johnson due to a sprained left ankle, but their depth allowed them to close the game. With 10.2 seconds remaining, Onyeka Okongwu made a jumper to secure the final margin. Indiana’s Quenton Jackson missed a three-pointer with 43.1 seconds left that would have given the Pacers the lead.
The Pacers trailed for most of the first three quarters but never fell behind by more than 15 points. They gained momentum late when Jackson stole the ball from Alexander-Walker and scored a layup to cut the deficit to 106-104 with 1:36 left. A 9-0 run by Indiana, capped by two free throws from Huff with 2:24 remaining, kept the game close until the final possessions.
Coach Rick Carlisle described the situation as injury management before tipoff. The sidelined list includes Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Johnny Furphy, T.J. McConnell, Larry Nance Jr., Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Ben Sheppard, Obi Toppin, Ivica Zubac, and Kelly Oubre Jr. Some players are out for weeks, while others were rested for the second night of a back-to-back set.
The loss marks the Pacers’ fifth consecutive defeat. Both teams return to action on Wednesday, with Atlanta traveling to Washington and Indiana heading to Memphis.
Source: WISH-TV
