Getty Victor Oladipo
Victor Oladipo has been ruled out for tonight’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, so the Pacers will be playing at home without their star player. Oladipo is averaging 21.4 points per game so far this season, but left Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with knee soreness.
He’s assured media that the injury is nothing serious, and his absence tonight is more precautionary than anything. With the Jazz coming off of an electrifying win in Boston, though, the remaining Pacers will need to be firing on all cylinders.
The Pacers have confirmed that Tyreke Evans will start tonight in place of Oladipo. Evans is averaging 11.2 points per game this season–he had 11 in Saturday’s game against Atlanta after Oladipo left the game and played for a solid 24 minutes.
Evans brings maybe less finesse than Oladipo, but he has a strong build that helps him get to the basket and make plays like this one.
The two teams will face off tonight at 6:00 pm CST.
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