INDIANAPOLIS – Quenton Jackson had a shot to give Indiana the lead with less than a minute remaining, a remarkable opportunity for a team whose bench contained just one available substitute. His 3-pointer missed. The Pacers had almost turned a night of survival into a victory, but Atlanta still had enough to get away.
The Hawks won 108-104 on Monday as Indiana used only six players, its smallest game rotation since 2004. Eleven Pacers were sidelined by injuries, illness or rest, leaving five starters and Kobe Brown as the lone reserve. All six scored in double figures.
The result extended Indiana’s losing streak to five games and dropped it to 2-6. Atlanta improved to 4-4. But the four-point margin told only part of the story: a depleted group had erased almost all of a 15-point deficit and forced the Hawks to settle the game in the final seconds.
Jackson’s steal and basket brought Indiana within 106-104 late in the fourth quarter. His potential go-ahead 3-pointer missed with 43.1 seconds remaining, and Onyeka Okongwu scored with 10.2 seconds left to establish the final margin, according to the game report carried by CBS Sports.
Jay Huff led Indiana with 22 points. Jackson scored 20, and Braden Smith finished his first NBA start with 19 points and 10 assists. Brown contributed 16 points, Jarace Walker had 15 and Jalen Slawson added 12. The six players accounted for every Indiana point, without a second unit available to take over.
The restriction had become even tighter shortly before tipoff. Coach Rick Carlisle expected to have seven players when he spoke roughly 90 minutes before the game. Kelly Oubre Jr. was then scratched with a bruised knee, removing the last layer of cover behind the six who played.
Carlisle described the situation as “a perfect storm of things happening at once,” according to a report published by the NBA. He called it unlucky but said the team had to be smart about managing its players. Indiana was playing the second night of a back-to-back.
The absences included Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell with hamstring issues, Johnny Furphy and Ben Sheppard with knee problems, Larry Nance Jr. with an illness and Ivica Zubac with an ankle injury. Andrew Nembhard was listed with a cervical issue, Aaron Nesmith with a hamstring issue and Obi Toppin with a lumbar sprain. Pascal Siakam rested.
That distinction matters. Indiana was not missing 11 players for the same reason, and the reports do not establish that all 11 face the same recovery period. Some could not play that night; others were expected to be absent for weeks. No complete return timetable was provided.
The financial imbalance made the shortage unusually visible. The NBA’s report put the sidelined players’ combined salaries at about $193 million, compared with roughly $15 million for those available. Walker was the only member of the six making more than $3 million this season. Smith, Slawson and Brown were on two-way contracts.
Smith’s opportunity was therefore more than an unexpected place in the lineup. With the team’s established ball-handlers unavailable, his 10 assists helped give the makeshift group an offensive structure. He made eight of 13 shots, including two of three from long range, and added three steals, according to the CBS Sports box score.
Walker logged 44 minutes, the most on the team. Jackson played 34, the fewest among the available Pacers. Those rounded totals underline how little room Carlisle had to redistribute the workload: every player was required for starter-level minutes, including the only reserve.
Atlanta had its own absence, with Jalen Johnson missing the game because of a sprained left ankle. Nickeil Alexander-Walker supplied the scoring the Hawks needed, finishing with 34 points. He made nine 3-pointers, helping Atlanta offset the resistance Indiana offered closer to the basket and at the foul line.
The Pacers made 20 of 23 free throws, while the Hawks made five of eight. Indiana shot 47.5% from the field against Atlanta’s 38.8%, but the Hawks made 23 3-pointers to the Pacers’ eight. That long-range advantage helped keep the visitors ahead despite Indiana’s repeated rallies.
Jackson completed a three-point play with 7:36 left to cut the deficit to 93-90. Atlanta answered with an 8-0 run, then Indiana found another response. A later 9-0 burst ended with Huff’s two free throws, bringing the Pacers within two with 2:24 remaining. The shortage never became a surrender.
Indiana next visits Memphis on Wednesday. Tuesday’s league-wide Election Day break provides a pause, and the Pacers also have Thursday and Friday off. The schedule offers recovery time; the reports do not yet say how many players Carlisle will have available when he next needs a substitution.
