Hawks Hold Off Depleted Pacers 108-104 Despite Late Indiana Rally

The Indiana Pacers, reduced to a bare-bones rotation of just six players because of injuries and rest, put a severe scare into the Atlanta Hawks before ultimately falling 108-104 on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Down to a fraction of their usual roster on the second night of a back-to-back, the Pacers fought valiantly but dropped their fifth consecutive game.

Jay Huff led the charge for Indiana with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Quenton Jackson added 20 points. Braden Smith, getting the first start of his NBA career, recorded 19 points and 10 assists. For the Hawks, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored a game-high 34 points to help Atlanta narrowly avoid what would have been a historic upset against a severely undermanned squad.

The scope of Indiana's roster depletion was historic. A total of 11 players sat out the contest, representing roughly 93% of the team's total payroll. The active six players on the court accounted for approximately $15 million in salary, while about $193 million sat on the sidelines. The situation marked the first time the Pacers utilized only six players in a game since 2004, and the earliest instance of a team running a six-man rotation so early in a season in over a decade.

Indiana's active roster consisted of Huff, Jackson, Jarace Walker—who logged a team-high 44 minutes and scored 15 points—alongside two-way contract players Smith, Jalen Slawson, and Kobe Brown, who served as the team's lone reserve. Head coach Rick Carlisle noted prior to the game that the situation was an unlucky culmination of circumstances, telling reporters, "It's kind of a perfect storm of things happening at once. It's unlucky. But we have to be smart here."

The extensive injury report included star guard Tyrese Haliburton, sidelined with a left hamstring strain, alongside Pascal Siakam resting. Kelly Oubre Jr. was a late scratch due to a bruised knee, joining a lengthy list of sidelined personnel that featured Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Ivica Zubac, T.J. McConnell, Larry Nance Jr., Johnny Furphy, Ben Sheppard, and Obi Toppin.

Despite trailing for the majority of the first three quarters and facing a 12-point deficit at halftime, the resilient Pacers outscored the Hawks 48-40 in the second half. Indiana clawed back late in the fourth quarter when Jackson stole the ball from Alexander-Walker and scored a layup, narrowing the deficit to 106-104 with 1:36 remaining. However, Jackson missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 43 seconds left, and Atlanta's Onyeka Okongwu sealed the victory with a jumper in the final seconds.

With the loss, the Pacers dropped to 2-6 on the season as they attempt to navigate an early wave of physical setbacks. The team will look to regroup when they travel to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, while the Atlanta Hawks prepare to visit Washington on the same night.