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Domantas Sabonis to miss “a couple of games” with an ankle injury

ByTony East|
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 11: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers shoots a free-throw against the New York Knicks on January 11, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 11: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers shoots a free-throw against the New York Knicks on January 11, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Indiana Pacers center Domantas Sabonis will miss some time with an ankle injury.

The Indiana Pacers loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday was ugly. They fell behind huge early, a recurring problem for the team of late. They struggled to keep Detroit off the glass. Things got chippy down the stretch. It was brutal. And then it got worse, as Domantas Sabonis limped off late with an ankle injury.

With just over a minute to go in the game, Sabonis rolled his ankle over Andre Drummond’s foot while backtracking on defense. He immediately had to limp off the floor.

Can this Indiana Pacers team get healthy? They had finally gotten back to full strength for the first time in essentially a month only to see their most important reserve get injured at the tail end of the game. It was a devastating moment.

It didn’t look too bad when it happened, but I thought it was clear that he would miss a few games. J Michael of the Indy Star confirmed that suspicion today.

I don’t know what a couple of games means, but the Pacers have a back-to-back coming up, so one can imagine he misses both of those games. Thankfully for the Pacers, the timing could be worse.

Their next four games are against the Mavericks, Timberwolves, Magic, and Bulls, four sub-.500 teams. Even with Kyle O’Quinn filling in for Sabonis, the Pacers should still have a good chance in each of those matchups.

Speaking of O’Quinn, he recently filled in amply for Myles Turner as a starter. He averaged 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game on 58.3 percent shooting in the duo of games. He showed that he is a quality NBA center, and he should fill in fine for Domas while he recovers.

Sabonis’ injury is a hit for the Indiana Pacers rotation, but it’s hard to find a better time for it to happen given the opponent quality. With O’Quinn filling in, hopefully, the team can continue to thrive until Domas returns.

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