Amidst a powerful start, Indiana Pacers suffer a heavy blow! Following the Christmas break, the Indy side hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder on a Thursday day night regular season encounter. The home team went off to a flying start, leaving the Thunder behind with a 7-22 run. At that time, they faced a scary injury involving Obi Toppin that crashed the team’s momentum.

With around 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the arena heard a loud screech during the Pacers’ offensive play. It was Toppin’s nasty slip that twisted his left ankle when he attempted a pull-up shot. The star immediately passed the ball and limped to the sidelines, trying to compose himself. However, the excruciating pain got the better of him and he went down, holding his left ankle.

The medical staff immediately rushed to the spot and escorted him off the court, and the team announced that he suffered an ankle strain and was Questionable to return. Notably, the star forward returned to the court for a brief period mid-way through the second quarter. But the team later announced that Obi Toppin won’t return for the rest of the game.

Obi Toppin in his seven minutes stay could drop 5 points and collected 3 boards.

Seriously commendable effort!

Importantly, the five-season-old forward is amidst a career year, averaging 10.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Above all, he came into this fresh season after an 82-game season. So, we will have to wait to watch whether this ankle injury affects his clean record.

On the other hand, the Pacers couldn’t carry forward the initial momentum throughout the game. Following the first half, the OKC entered the locker room with a 7-point deficit but managed to flip things around in the second half, thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Amid Obi Toppin’s injury, the Pacers snap 5-game winning streak

The 2024 Eastern Conference finalists didn’t look the same this season. The team looked completely off-color and even forced the NBA world to wonder if their 2023-24 run was a fluke. However, the team regained their form in the last stretch and also earned the ‘Hottest Team in the Season’ title with a five-game winning streak.

Tonight, facing the West table toppers, it looked as if the Pacers would shock the Thunder. Well, at least for the first quarter. Following that, the visitors put an end to the Pacers’ ambition. It was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The superstar MVP-caliber guard put up a career-high tying 45-point performance to produce a 120-114 performance. He was supported by Jalen Williams (20 pts) and Isaiah Hartenstein (11 pts, 13 rebs).

Apart from that, one of the main reasons for the loss is Tyrese Haliburton‘s off night. The star managed to score just 4 points. Obi Toppin, who made a brief stay of 4 minutes in the second quarter, didn’t return for the second half. With already a man down, Haliburton’s no-show cost the game for the Pacers. Importantly, Hali’s numbers have gone down drastically. After two 20-point averaging seasons, he currently averages 17.8 ppg this season. Will the team find its groove back? Let us know in the comments below.