Is Myles Turner Playing vs Lakers? Pacers Release Full Injury Report

The Pacers big man was hurt on Thursday against the Clippers.

Jan 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) rebounds the ball in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers were able to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night. They came back after being down 22 points in the first quarter to get the victory.

They were able to get the win in spite of the fact that they lost Myles Turner in the first quarter to an injury. He was whacked by Bennedict Mathurin and ended up stumbling towards the bench.

When that happened, Pacers fans were worried that it was a concussion. He left that game due to a concussion evaluation, but that ended up not being the official diagnoses of his injury.

Read more: Pacers' Lack of Trade Deadline Moves Directly Impacts Myles Turner

Turner was officially diagnosed with a cervical strain in his neck. It's good that it's not a concussion, but it's still an injury that he has to deal with.

Ahead of the Pacers' matchup with the Lakers on Saturday afternoon, the Pacers have officially listed Turner as out due to that cervical strain.

That means that the Pacers will turn to Thomas Bryant as the starting center for this game. They don't have a center sitting behind him, so they will have to play a lot of small-ball against the Lakers.

Indiana figured out a way to beat the Clippers without Turner, so they will have to figure out a way to beat the Lakers without him, as well.

The Pacers decided not to trade Turner at the trade deadline. His name was floated around as a possible trade candidate, especially to the Lakers.

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Indiana is hoping to bring back Turner at the end of the season. He is going to be a free agent for the first time in his career.

Prior to last season, Turner had issues staying healthy for most of the season. He has remedied that, and he has only missed a couple of games this year.

Not having Turner against the Lakers will put more pressure on Obi Toppin and Pascal Siakam to play small-ball center. They are going to need to work hard, but the Lakers might not have any great big men in this game.

Turner is averaging 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game this season.

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