Pacers Recap and Notes

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said that Nesmith will be listed as questionable for Tuesday’s matchup with the Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals due to a right ankle sprain, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.

Carlisle suggested that Nesmith’s status could come down to a game-time decision, meaning the team will likely see how his ankle responds in warmups before determining his availability ahead of the 8 p.m. ET tipoff. Nesmith rolled his right ankle during the third quarter of Sunday’s 106-100 loss in Game 3, but he was able to come back into the game late in the fourth quarter. Nesmith finished the contest with eight points (2-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, two steals and one block in 26 minutes.

Mathurin racked up two points (0-1 FG, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and two assists over eight minutes during Sunday’s 106-100 loss to the Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Mathurin continues to struggle, having now scored single digits in five straight postseason appearances. In fact, during what has been a particularly underwhelming stretch, Mathurin scored just 15 points during that span, nine of which came during the Game 1 victory against the Knicks. Indiana still leads the series 2-1, but will need more from Mathurin moving forward. Given his lack of production over the past five games, he has become almost unplayable at times.

Sheppard attempted just one shot for the third time in the past four games, continuing what has been a disappointing postseason. Despite coming into the league as a potential scoring threat off the bench, Sheppard has been unable to turn that potential into anything tangible. Across 11 postseason appearances, he is averaging just 3.4 points and 0.8 three-pointers in 12.8 minutes per game.