The Dallas Mavericks face the injury-hit Indiana Pacers on Friday night in Indianapolis, kicking off their early-season non-conference slate. Both teams bring last season’s struggles into this matchup, with the Mavericks sitting at 0-1 and the Pacers 1-0 after opening games.
Indiana’s season opener showed promise with a win, but the roster remains depleted. The Pacers will be without Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell due to hamstring injuries, while Johnny Furphy is sidelined for the entire season with an ACL tear. These absences limit Indiana’s rotation options as they look to build on last year’s 19-63 overall record and 11-30 home performance. Defensively, the Pacers allowed 120.4 points per game last season and committed nearly 21 fouls per game, issues they will aim to address.
Dallas enters the contest with several players out as well. Tarik Biberovic, Caleb Martin, Jett Howard, Dereck Lively II, and Santi Aldama all remain sidelined with injuries ranging from heel and thumb to calf, foot, and knee issues. The Mavericks ended last season 26-56 overall, including 10-31 on the road, and allowed opponents to score 119.6 points per game while shooting nearly 48 percent from the field.
Friday’s game at 7 p.m. EDT offers a chance for both teams to find rhythm despite the early roster challenges. Indiana’s home court has been a weak spot historically, and the Pacers will need solid performances from their healthy players to contain Dallas’ offence. Meanwhile, the Mavericks will hope to shake off an opening loss and test their depth without several key contributors.
The injury situation puts pressure on bench players to step up for both sides as they try to avoid an early-season slide. The Pacers’ defensive lapses and foul trouble from last season will be a focus, while the Mavericks aim to improve their road form and defensive consistency.
This meeting marks the first non-conference matchup for these two struggling teams as they begin the 2026-27 NBA season. The latest injury reports confirm no changes to the list of sidelined players for either team.
According to Yahoo Sports.
