The Indiana Pacers will be without attacking Jarace Walker for at least the first two games of the NBA final when he recovers from a right ankle injury.
The finals are starting Oklahoma City on Thursday against the Thunder.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the Indianapolis fans’ radio on Monday.
“He’s going to go out for a while. I don’t know how long,” said Carlisle. “He will certainly not play in the first two games of the final.”
The injury took place on Saturday during the 6 game of the Eastern Conference final when Walker rolled his right ankle after jumping to try to defend a shot against the cities of Karl-Anthony of the New York Knicks.
He left the arena on crutches, and Carlisle said he was still using them on Sunday.
Match 3 of the Best NBA final is scheduled for June 11 in Indianapolis. Carlisle said the calendar could be in favor of Walker.
“The fact that the finals are stretched over a fairly important period gives it a chance to recover,” said Carlisle. “… he will do all the treatment. He will be very motivated (to come back). He was on the point every time he had any kind of blows or something like that.”
Walker, 21 and in his second NBA season, is part of the Deep bench that Carlisle used in the playoffs. He appeared in 12 of their 16 games in playoffs and has an average of 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.
– field level media