The Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks are neck and neck in the east, but the Pacers are reeling under pressure after the first loss of their back-to-back clashes against the Bulls last night. They still sit 5th in the East, with a strong chance of finishing the backend of the season firmly in the playoffs, but that comfort is possible only if they turn the chances to their side. Up next is a massive game where the 4th spot is up for grabs, against a struggling Bucks side, who will be eager to hold their forte.

The Pacers themselves are on a 3-game losing streak, which puts their playoff spot at risk because just next rests the lurking Pistons who are in fantastic form. A loss to the Bucks will put the Indiana-based team in danger of dropping to 6th due to a weaker PCT. Alongside Pascal Siakam, guard Tyrese Haliburton is arguably their best player this season. But he’s missed 3 games on the trot due to a hip injury. Will he feature tonight against Doc Rivers’ side?

Pacers injury report and predicted lineups

Nobody else but Rick Carlisle has some questions to answer. It’s a growing concern how the team looks like elite when Hali is in the squad, as opposed to when he isn’t. The last season’s Eastern Conference finalists are at a growing risk of becoming a one-man show, which is a huge drop-off from last season. Tyrese has averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds a game this season while shooting approximately 47% from the field. But the persisting left hip flexor strain injury had kept him out of the last 3 games. Due to this, he’s currently on a day-to-day basis ahead of the Bucks game.

As for forward Isiah Jackson, his Achilles has been, well- his Achilles heel this season. He suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on November 1st. The injury occurred in the fourth quarter when Jackson landed awkwardly while attempting to block a shot by Brandon Ingram. This put him out of contention for the rest of the season.

The rest of the team is pretty fit and healthy, as Jackson and Haliburton are the only two players on the injury report. Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are also listed as probable for the game tonight at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, so Coach Carlisle will be seeing this as an opportunity to get that winning feeling back to Indianapolis.

That being said, this is the Pacers’ predicted line-ups for the Bucks game:

Key men out and the subsequent losing streak puts the Milwaukee Bucks in a vulnerable spot. With Carlisle’s experience, it’s the perfect opportunity for the Pacers to pounce on to turn their fortunes around. Whether they do it with or without Tyrese Haliburton is yet to be seen. But if he’s out, the weight on the players’ shoulders will just be that much heavier.