Pacers lost their fourth consecutive game, but worse yet, lost a player that has added some joy to this lost season.
The Pacers took a two-point lead to halftime before the Raptors took full control of the game in the third quarter, en route to later securing a, 122-104 over the Pacers. However, the third quarter fade and fourth straight loss were overshadowed by a season ending injury sustained by second-year forward, Johnny Furphy.
Furph had just delivered a rare highlight in the third quarter, finishing strong in the land with a contested dunk which quickly turned from highlight to nightmare, when Furphy landed awkwardly. In an instant, Furphy was splayed out on the baseline, pounding the court in an all too familiar scene for Pacers fans. All too familiar for the Pacers bench, as well, as they all suddenly turned sullen, feeling they knew to worst case scenario that their young teammate would face.
After getting to New York to have the knee diagnosed,Michael Scotto reported the rough news that Furphy had indeed torn his right ACL, putting him on the shelf for the rest of the season with a general 6-12 month timeline for return.
A bummer on many levels, but mostly for the fact that Furphy will miss the remainder of this developmental season for his game. Furphy just turned 21 in early December and surprisingly seized a strong role in the Pacers rotation as they have worked through all of the other injuries this season, starting 21 games and maintaining that role even with the healthy return of Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith of late.
His development has been far from linear and there is so much more there to improve, particularly on the offensive end. His ability to guard the ball and opposing guards and forwards, then also scrap for rebounds at both ends has been the core strength of his game, giving Rick Carlisle to confidence to put him in the mix.
Furphy is a streaky shooter at best which is his main weakness at this point, although something he has been grinding to improve. The only silver lining from missing so much game time and being forced through an arduous rehab process will be the opportunity to continue working on tweaking that shot and finding a consistent way to shoot with confidence away from game action.
Furphy and Jarace Walker have been the most intriguing players over the past couple of months just because their development to fill out the playing rotation next season can really help lift the Pacers and be part of a defensive improvement, along with the addition of Ivica Zubac, across that rotation. So, now we’ll look to Jarace to continue taking advantage of his time this season while filling a bigger role with Furphy out.
Now what?
Speaking of Zubac, the big fella along with Kobe Brown finally landed in Indy on Tuesday andmet with the folks that work for Pacers Sports and Entertainment. Zubac will officially be introduced locally at a press conference on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
I guess we’ll find out when and if he will catch up with the team who remain on the road until the All-Star break which begins for the Pacers after their game in Brooklyn on Wednesday night. Zubac is currently questionable on the Pacers injury report but reports have him out in the near future to fully recover from an ankle injury. That too, should be cleared up today.UPDATE: From when I wrote this last night, now it appears Zubac is with the Pacers in New York and the press conference is a Zoom call.
As for the Pacers, their road trip wraps up with a back-to-back (rest time before rest?) starting in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night against the Knicks. Not expecting much mercy from the Knicks nor the Garden crowd considering the circumstances of the playoff visits the Pacers enjoyed in their last trip to New York. The Knicks slid by the Pacers in the first of four meetings this season back in mid-December when Jalen Brunson drilled a 3-ball with 5 seconds left to put the Knicks up for good by one point.
Pacers vs. Knicks
**Where:**Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
When: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +11.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Jarace Walker, Pascal Siakam, Jay Huff
Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Landry Shamet, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns
Injuries
Pacers: T.J. McConnell (hammy) - questionable, Aaron Nesmith (hand) - questionable, Micah Potter (hip) - questionable, Ivica Zubac (ankle) - questionable, Johnny Furphy (knee) - out, Obi Toppin (hammy) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out
Knicks: OG Anunoby (toe) - questionable, Miles McBride (abdominal) - out, Mitchell Robinson (ankle) - out
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