Pascal

Siakam

Both players will be out for another game, and Jalen Slawson could take on additional minutes. Kobe Brown (back) is questionable, and if he’s available, he could be in line for an expanded role.

Thursday’s game will be the third that Siakam has missed, and the sixth straight on the sidelines for Nesmith. Jalen Slawson may benefit the most regarding playing time, as Kobe Brown and Jarace Walker are considered questionable for Thursday night.

Siakam will remain out for a second straight game, with Jalen Slawson replacing him as a starter on Sunday. Slawson scored 19 points in 33 minutes on Sunday and should play a similar role against Minnesota.

Siakam suffered back and ankle injuries during Friday’s loss to the Hornets, but it’s the latter that will keep him out of Sunday’s game. As for Nesmith, he will miss a fourth consecutive contest. Ben Sheppard started on Friday but is questionable with a strained hip. If he can’t play, the Pacers may turn to Ethan Thompson to fill in for Nesmith.

Siakam had an excellent night individually, even with the premature ending. The Pacers’ forward exited with 3:48 remaining in the fourth quarter due to a bruised lower back and did not return. He played 34 minutes on Friday, an encouraging sign with the Pacers headed for the draft lottery. Indiana visits Cleveland on Sunday; fantasy managers will hope to get another game out of Siakam.

Siakam is good to go for Friday’s game, but this does not mean that he’s a look to play starters’ minutes. While productive in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, Spicy P logged 22 minutes because of the nature of the game. Hopefully, if Friday’s game remains competitive throughout, Siakam will be able to hit 30 minutes.

Siakam and Toppin were also probable ahead of Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, a game in which the two logged 22 and 11 minutes, respectively. They’ll likely take on similar workloads on Friday. While Siakam can still be rostered in fantasy leagues under those circumstances, Toppin cannot.

Despite previously being questionable with a knee issue, Siakam played and was arguably the most productive player on the floor on Wednesday. A one-sided affair limited the former Most Improved Player to just 22 minutes of game play. However, even in his limited action, he led the Pacers in scoring and was one of the team’s top facilitators. Siakam should remain a productive player so long as he takes the floor for this injury-hit Indiana team with one of the worst records in the NBA. Fantasy managers should expect more production from him on Friday against the Hornets.

Siakam won’t miss any time despite dealing with knee issues. He’ll take the floor on the heels of a 30-point, 11-rebound double-double against the Heat to end March. Siakam remains Indiana’s go-to guy, even at this point in the season with the Pacers having one of the NBA’s worst records — he’ll have a chance to put up some big numbers, once again.

Siakam has been available for five straight games and is expected to remain available for another game. He had 30 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in Sunday’s win over Miami and will look to stay hot against Chicago.