Pacers drop another to Sixers, upgrade Obi Toppin for Hornets
The losing beat goes on for Pacers while Rick Carlisle tussles with NBA over injury reporting.
The continually short-handed Pacers were unable to slow down the 76ers who welcomed Joel Embiid back to the court where he teamed up with Tyrese Maxey to put the Pacers away early in Philly’s 135-114 win.
While Embiid had an efficient 27 points in 26 minutes, Maxey was the star of the show scoring 32 points with 9 rebounds and 8 assists without having to play a minute in the fourth quarter. The dynamic guard struggled to make shots early but is so quick in the open floor after stops and turnovers that he was eventually able to generate plenty of offense. Quite impressive to watch as the Sixers certainly have the parts to be a problem in the postseason if they can keep their main guys playing.
As for the Pacers, they continued a recent stretch of defensive deficiencies that had them chasing the Sixer all night. This was the third consecutive game in which the Pacers give up over 130 points. They did snap a stretch of 10 consecutive quarters giving up 30 or more points when they ‘held’ the Sixers to 29 (!) points in the fourth quarter.
Andrew Nembhard and Micah Potter lead the way for the Pacers with 23 points a piece. Potter’s 23 points was one of two career high scoring nights for the Pacers. Kam Jones scored the team’s first 8 points and then finally got a bucket late to finish with 13 points for his continually rising career high during his rookie season.
Jarace Walker struggled shooting the rock, scoring just 8 points on 13 shots. Walker did have 10 rebounds and 6 assists, including a couple of nifty pocket passes leading to layups. He also only had 2 turnovers, so he continues to find ways to impact the game even when scoring is a struggle.
The main news of the day came earlier during Rick Carlisle’s weekly appearance on The Fan’s morning show. When asked about the recent $100,000 fine for flouting the league’s Player Participation Policy, Carlisle chuckled and then went in on the NBA’s process to determine the fine. In particular, including Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith in the fine explanation.
According to Carlisle, the league’s independent physician didn’t discuss Nesmith’s condition with the team doctors nor Nesmith himself and inquired about the team possibly medicating Nesmith to make him available. The league later responded calling Carlisle’s description of the process inaccurate and went on to explain their side without refuting any of the points Carlisle made regarding Nesmith.
Bottom line is that the Pacers did break the letter of the PPP law sitting Pascal Siakam as a star player, which then brought in the ability to scrutinize other on the team. However, there is no doubt the situation reeks of selective prosecution comparable to being one of 30 cars pulled over on I-465 for going 80 mph when you are just keeping up with all of the traffic and the speed of the other cars.
The fine and exchange have not altered the Pacers approach with Siakam rolling through a few ailments of late that need attention and more importantly rest from night-to-night.
Now what?
The Pacers host the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night, a team that is 7-3 in their last 10 games and not the same squad the Pacers already beat twice earlier in the season. The Hornets started the season 16-28 and then reeled of 9 consecutive wins just before the All-Star break to put themselves in the postseason picture while still trying to get over .500.
The Pacers added some good news on the injury front with Obi Toppin upgraded to questionable for the first time since injuring his foot in the third game of the season. The questionable designation has often been a good sign the player will be available for the next game, so hopefully Toppin can begin working his way back into game shape with a few minutes against the Hornets.
As always, stay tuned for the latest injury updates to see who else will and will not be available.
Pacers vs. Hornets
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When: Thursday, February 26, 2026 - 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +12.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Kam Jones, Ben Sheppard, Jarace Walker, Jay Huff
Hornets: LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate
Injuries
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard (back) - questionable, Obi Toppin (hammy) - questionable, Pascal Siakam (wrist) - doubtful, Aaron Nesmith (ankle) - out, Ivica Zubac (ankle) - out, Johnny Furphy (knee) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out
Hornets: Liam McNeeley (ankle) - out