MILWAUKEE -- Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard will miss Monday's game against the Bucks with a neck and back issue, coach Rick Carlisle said in his pre-game news conference. Nembhard’s one of five Pacers players who have been ruled out, leaving Indiana with just nine standard-contract players available.
Center Ivica Zubac was ruled out earlier in the day with a left ankle sprain after suffering the injury in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Nets in Brooklyn. Carlisle said he's uncertain of a timetable for Zubac's return, but said swelling in the ankle went down considerably overnight and Zubac entered the arena without a walking boot after needing crutches on Sunday night.
Guard Ben Sheppard didn't come to Milwaukee with the team, staying behind in New York to have surgery on a torn left meniscus. Point guard T.J. McConnell has been out with a hamstring strain and forward Johnny Furphy has been out since February with an ACL tear.
Nembhard averaged 16.0 points and 5.7 assists in the first three games and had been operating as both the Pacers' starting shooting guard and backup point guard. In his absence the Pacers will have to rely heavily on guard Quenton Jackson and will likely have to activate two-way contract guard and former Purdue star Braden Smith.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers get bad news on injury report about Andrew Nembhard; what it means for the depth chart