Short-Handed Pacers Fall to Hawks After Using Six-Man Rotation

The Indiana Pacers utilized only six players during a 108-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Indiana Pacers 108-104 on Monday night as Indiana utilized only six players due to 11 sidelined teammates. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Atlanta with 34 points, while Onyeka Okongwu secured the victory with a jumper with 10.2 seconds remaining. The Pacers (2-6) nearly erased a late deficit when Quenton Jackson stole the ball and made a layup to bring Indiana within two points at the 1:36 mark, though Jackson later missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer with 43.1 seconds left on the clock.

Indiana's rotation consisted of starters Jay Huff, Quenton Jackson, Jarace Walker, Braden Smith, and Jalen Slawson, with Kobe Brown serving as the lone reserve. Walker logged a team-high 44 minutes, while Jackson played the fewest with 34. This marked the earliest point in an NBA season that a team has used six or fewer players since 1948. It was also the first time head coach Rick Carlisle fielded such a limited roster since November 20, 2004, the game immediately following the "Malice at the Palace."

The Pacers entered the contest without Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), Pascal Siakam (rest), Johnny Furphy (knee), T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Larry Nance Jr. (illness), Andrew Nembhard (cervical), Aaron Nesmith (hamstring), Ben Sheppard (knee), Obi Toppin (lumbar sprain), and Ivica Zubac (ankle). Kelly Oubre Jr. was a late scratch with a bruised knee. According to ESPN Research, the combined salary of the 11 inactive players totaled approximately $193 million, compared to $15 million for the active roster.