Pacers injury update: TJ Leaf won’t make trip to play Bucks

Pacers second-year forward TJ Leaf will remain in Indy on Friday after the Pacers ruled him out for the team’s second game of the season in Milwuakee.

Leaf sprained his ankle one minute into his time on the court in the opener on Monday during a scrum under the hoop after Domas Sabonis missed a shot. As Sabonis grabbed the rebound, Leaf was on the ground in pain.

Basketball is not always fair.

That fact hit Leaf hard. Here he was, getting the first-quarter reserve minutes he worked hard for in the offseason and Leaf didn’t want it to end so quickly. He limped off the floor, slammed a chair on the bench and then tried to run off the pain he felt in his ankle.

Wasn’t happening.

Leaf left the court and was unable to return due to a left sprained ankle.

”His ankle was pretty swolen,” Nate McMillan explained after the game. “It blew up on him and they told me he wouldn’t be back at the half and they decided to keep him out.”

Now the Pacers will keep him out against Milwaukee and one would think for the other side of the back-to-back against the Nets on Saturday at the Fieldhouse.

Leaf will likely get his opportunity to shine again once he’s ready to go, but McMillan used Thad Young to fill the gaps in the playing rotation and the nine-man group looked quite good against the Grizz.

Check out the links:

Game Preview: Pacers at Bucks | Indiana Pacers

Pacers get best TV rating for a season opener since 2005

INDIANA HAS NO CHILL | By Myles Turner

Five observations from the Pacers’ opening night win over the Grizzlies – The Athletic

Evans Making Fast Friends in Indiana | Indiana Pacers

Pacers: Tyreke Evans, Cory Joseph lead bench unit

Fiserv Forum may be new, but Ilyasova feels at home back in Milwaukee

Pacers’ visit to Milwaukee coincides with Bucks christening new arena | FOX Sports

Pacers look better than a year in blowout of Memphis in 2018-19 opener

Indiana Pacers bench upgrades on display in win over Memphis Grizzlies