Pacers Buddy Hield out for Monday's game with illness; Haliburton and Turner also out

INDIANAPOLIS -- Veteran guard Buddy Hield will miss the Pacers game against the Dallas Mavericks' with a non-COVID illness according to Monday's official injury report, missing his first game of the season. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle also said All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and center Myles Turner will sit out the game for injury management, meaning the Pacers will be without their top three scorers for Monday night's game against the Mavericks.

Guard Chris Duarte will also miss Monday's 7 p.m. game with a sore left ankle, Duarte returned to action on Saturday after missing almost two weeks with the injury, which Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said was connected to the injury left ankle sprain that kept him for six weeks from early November to mid-December. Duarte played five minutes in the first half, but aggravated the injury and didn't return in the second half.

The 30-year-old Hield hasn't missed a game yet this season, appearing in each of the Pacers' 75 so far. He was in the starting lineup in every game until Friday when Haliburton returned and Carlisle kept Bennedict Mathurin in the starting lineup. Hield has made 271 3-pointers this season, which puts him second only to Golden State's Klay Thompson. He's third among the Pacers with 16.9 points per game behind only Haliburton and Turner.

In seven seasons in the NBA, Hield has played all 82 games twice and has played in at least 80 four times. He played in 81 games last season and the only one he missed came immediately after he was traded from the Kings to the Pacers.

"He's very disappointed," Carlisle said. "... He's a guy that's going to kick and scream before he misses a game. This is something where the doctor intervened saying, 'This is what we have to do, this is what you have to do.' I'm sure he'll feel better in a couple days and we'll see where we are then. He has to be very disappointed. He lives to play basketball. Loves it. It's his drug. He loves the game. Loves to move. Loves to compete. This will be tough."

Haliburton returned Friday night against Boston after missing the previous six games with a sprained ankle and before that, a left knee bruise. Turner sat out Saturday's game against the Hawks with lower back and left ankle soreness. Haliburton leads the Pacers with 20.7 points per game and ranks second in the NBA with 10.4 assists per game. Turner is second on the Pacers with 18.0 points per game and leads the squad with 7.5 rebounds per game.

The Pacers are starting a lineup of players all 24 and under. Rookie Andrew Nembhard shifts back from shooting guard to point guard with Haliburton out. Rookie Bennedict Mathurin and 23-year-old Aaron Nesmith remain in the starting lineup. Recent trade acquisition Jordan Nwora enters the starting lineup after scoring 33 points against the Hawks on Saturday, and Jalen Smith will start in place of Turner at center.

The Pacers (33-42) enter Monday's game 3 1/2 game back of the Chicago Bulls for 10th place in the Eastern Conference, which represents the final play-in position. They play a Mavericks team that is a game back of 10th in the very tight Western Conference. All-Star Luka Doncic was briefly expected to miss the game through a suspension for picking up his 16th technical foul on the season but the foul was rescinded on Monday afternoon.