Pacers get bad injury news on Pascal Siakam; what we know

Pacers All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam scored 30 points in the Pacers' 129-108 loss to the Hornets in Charlotte on Friday, but he left the game in the fourth quarter with a lower back bruise and also turned his ankle in the quarter, coach Rick Carlisle said in his post-game press conference broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Indiana. Carlisle also said guard Ben Sheppard has "a hip thing that's bothering him. " The Pacers were already missing forwards Aaron Nesmith (cervical strain) and Jarace Walker (low back bruise) and point guards Andrew Nembhard (cervical and lumbar soreness) and T.

J. McConnell (hamstring soreness) going into the game. They have three key players (All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, center Ivica Zubac and forward Johnny Furphy) who are out for the year, so the Pacers could be very short-handed when they play the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Sunday.

"We could be getting thinner here," Carlisle said. Siakam has carried the Pacers through a miserable season without Haliburton and with an array of other injuries throughout the season. Siakam has missed time with a knee sprain and a wrist sprain, but Friday's game was Siakam's 14th this season with at least 30 points and his 49th in 62 appearances with at least 20 points.

He was leading the Pacers with 23. 9 points per game heading into Friday night and he earned his fourth All-Star nod earlier this season. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pascal Siakam injury update: Pacers all-star suffers back injury vs Hornets