Domantas Sabonis will not return Sunday as originally planned. He participated in the team’s pre-game walk through on the floor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse more than two hours before the game. He looked fine and ready to go, according to two staffers who were present.
However, about an hour later, an hour and 22 minutes before tip-off, Sabonis’ left ankle landed on the foot of a ball boy during pre-game individual shooting. Sabonis, the team’s leading rebounder (7.9 per game), was working in the post against Josh Henderson, a seasonal assistant.
He walked to the team bench, hit a chair in frustration, and then made his way back to the locker room under his own power.
This is a potential big blow for the Pacers, who need their backup center back for a final push to the postseason. They are 42-31 with nine games left, including Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Heat. Their next four games are out west.
It will be Sabonis’ sixth straight absence. He first suffered the left ankle sprain on March 13 in Philadelphia. X-rays and an MRI both returned negative.
“He was all ready to play, was out there warming up and stepped on one of our ball boys’ ankles warming up and twisted it. It was pretty sore. We’re hoping that he’ll be able to play against Golden State,” coach McMillan shared after their 113-107 win over the Heat in overtime.
See video of the incident below, as captured by FOX Sports Indiana. Great work by FSI in having their cameras rolling and in sharing the video with a timestamp.
Domas Sabonis is out again after re-tweaking ankle during warm-ups. #Pacers pic.twitter.com/pHmwlnJpSv
— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) March 25, 2018
[Photo via @FSIndiana]