The All-Star break is officially in the past, and the Indiana Pacers will play some basketball for the first time in eight days. They will begin the second half of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. This will be the first game of Indiana's four-game home stand.
Indiana and Memphis went head-to-head one time so far this season on December 1, a game that culminated in a 121-136 loss for the Pacers. Since then, however, they have turned things around and are now a top team in the Eastern Conference.
As for the Grizzlies, they are 36-18 and the highest-scoring offense in the league. Led by Ja Morant, the Grizzlies once again look like title contenders, so this will likely prove to be a difficult matchup for the Pacers.
Here is the full injury report for Thursday night's battle between the Pacers and Grizzlies.
2/20 Pacers injury report vs. Grizzlies
- RayJ Dennis (G League) - QUESTIONABLE
- Enrique Freeman (G League) - QUESTIONABLE
- Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - OUT
- Quenton Jackson (G League) - QUESTIONABLE
After missing the last three games before the All-Star break, Myles Turner is off the injury report and available to play. In his absence, the Pacers went 1-2.
With Turner back in the fold, Thomas Bryant will revert to his bench role, though he looked solid as a replacement starter. In his three games as Turner's replacement, Bryant averaged 13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. He also shot 62.1% from the field. While Bryant played some good basketball, the Pacers should be happy to have Turner back on the court.
Beyond Turner, there are no notable changes to the Pacers' injury report.
2/20 Grizzlies injury report vs. Pacers
- Johnny Davis (not with team) - OUT
- Yuki Kawamura (G League) - OUT
- Zyon Pullin (G League) - OUT
- Cam Spencer (G League) - OUT
The Grizzlies acquired Johnny Davis from the Washington Wizards as part of the three-team trade that saw them move on from Marcus Smart. Davis has yet to make his Grizzlies debut, and he will have to wait a little while longer as he is officially out against the Pacers.
Yuki Kawamura, the Grizzlies' rookie fan favorite, will also not play against the Pacers as he is on a two-way contract. The 5-foot-8 point guard has appeared in 20 games for Memphis this season and has shown flashes at times. However, he is unlikely to play a big role on the team anytime soon.
Undrafted free agent Zyon Pullin is putting together a solid campaign in the G League, averaging 21.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. However, he has only appeared in three games for the Grizzlies and will remain out against the Pacers.
Rookie guard Cam Spencer suffered a thumb injury just before the All-Star break. Though he is still on the injury report, it is just because of a G League assignment. Regardless, the Maryland native is out of action for the Grizzlies.
Projected starting lineups
Indiana Pacers
PG: Tyrese Haliburton
SG: Andrew Nembhard
SF: Aaron Nesmith
PF: Pascal Siakam
C: Myles Turner
Memphis Grizzlies
PG: Ja Morant
SG: Desmond Bane
SF: Jaylen Wells
PF: Jaren Jackson Jr.
C: Zach Edey