Indiana Pacers small forward Lance Stephenson (ankle) and center Goga Bitadze (foot) have been given the green light to suit up for Friday's game vs. the Pistons. Stephenson is playing at less than 100 percent due to a sprained left ankle, but without Chris Duarte (toe) in the mix, the veteran figures to see an elevated offensive role among the second unit. Bitadze is working through right foot soreness to retain a limited role off the bench, as Isaiah Jackson has taken over primary starting center duties in Myles Turner's (foot) absence. Both players have a favorable DFS matchup against an exploitable Detroit defense, although their respective minutes ceilings may dissuade conservative fantasy managers.

Indiana Pacers centers Isaiah Jackson (ankle) and Goga Bitadze (foot) are listed as probable for Friday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jackson has appeared in one game this month, but he was a fantasy asset when healthy. He should have no shortage of minutes, assuming he can stay healthy. Fantasy managers should check the waiver wire and see if Jackson is available. Jalen Smith and Oshae Brissett are expected to lose playing time with Bitadze returning. Bitadze and Jackson are the main priorities in the frontcourt for Indiana right now.

Indiana Pacers center Goga Bitadze (foot) will return on Sunday evening against Cleveland. The 22-year-old missed his last four games because of soreness in his right foot. However, with Domantas Sabonis available after sitting out three games while adhering to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Bitadze's ceiling will be somewhat restricted. As a result, he's a risky DFS option, although he still warrants consideration in deeper seasonal formats.

Indiana Pacers center Goga Bitadze (foot) is questionable for Sunday's outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The big man has missed his previous four games because of right foot soreness. With Isaiah Jackson (ankle) out and uncertainty surrounding Domantas Sabonis' availability after he's been in health and safety protocols, Terry Taylor could continue to benefit. Taylor had a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double against the Bulls on Friday night, so he certainly has fantasy value if Bitadze and Sabonis can't play.

Indiana Pacers center Goga Bitadze (foot) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls. He will miss his fourth game in a row here due to right foot soreness. Luckily, Oshae Brissett (ankle) is active for this game, but the Pacers remain extremely thin at center. Last game, Terry Taylor went off and finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds in their loss to the Orlando Magic. He seems like someone worth targeting as a streaming option for Friday's slate. Torrey Craig should see significant playing time, but isn't exactly a favorable fantasy option.

Indiana Pacers power forward Oshae Brissett (ankle) and center Goga Bitadze (foot) have been ruled out for Wednesday's contest against Orlando. Indiana's frontcourt will be extremely shorthanded with the duo joining Domantas Sabonis (health and safety protocols) on the sidelines. Isaiah Jackson delivered a breakout performance Monday (26 points, 10 rebounds) and is set to serve as one of the premier DFS options on the slate. Terry Taylor and Torrey Craig can also be viewed as upside plays due to the Pacers' limited frontcourt options. The next chance for Brissett or Bitadze to suit up comes Friday vs. the Bulls.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Kevin Pritchard hired a new coach in October, he took a calculated risk. This time, the Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations went for the known commodity. Pritchard hired longtime Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Thursday, reuniting the 61-year-old with the team that helped relaunch his head coaching career almost two decades ago. “Rick is a proven winner with a championship and will be a Hall of Fame coach,” Pritchard said in a statement. “He has demonstrated throughout his career an ability to build something with sustainable success. He has great respect for our franchise and our fans from his previous times here. We are very happy to welcome him back to Indiana.” Clearly, the Pacers believe Carlisle can bring stability to a veteran team that battled a severe rash of injuries last season. The result was a losing record and their first playoff absence in six years. Carlisle will get a chance to make a quick fix with the same organization he... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Kevin Pritchard hired a new coach in October, he took a calculated risk. This time, the Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations went for the known commodity. Pritchard hired longtime Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Thursday, bringing back the 61-year-old NBA veteran to the team that relaunched his head coaching career almost two decades ago. Carlisle confirmed the decision to The Associated Press, though the team had no immediate announcement. The Pacers clearly believe Carlisle can bring stability to a veteran team that battled a rash of injuries last season. The result was a losing record and their first playoff absence in six years. Carlisle will get a chance to make a quick fix with the same organization he led led from 2003-07 and took to the Eastern Conference finals in his first season with the team. This time, he becomes the third Pacers coach in less than 12 months. Nate McMillan was fired in August following his fourth straight first-round... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Rick Carlisle is coming back to Indiana to coach the Pacers after deciding his time leading Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks was over. Carlisle confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday he has agreed to return to the club he coached for four seasons from 2003-07. He led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals his first season. The 61-year-old Carlisle decided to leave the Mavericks last week, a day after general manager Donnie Nelson left the club. Dallas owner Mark Cuban said it was Carlisle's decision to leave. After a decade as an assistant coach, Carlisle's first head coaching job was with Detroit in 2001. He spent two seasons with the Pistons, leaving after leading them to the East finals in 2003. Carlisle will be the Pacers' third coach in less than 12 months. Nate McMillan was fired in August after four consecutive first-round playoff exits. McMillan’s replacement, Nate Bjorkgren, was fired after one tumultuous season with Indiana. The Pacers are betting... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Rick Carlisle is coming back to Indiana to coach the Pacers after deciding his time leading Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks was over. Carlisle confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday he has agreed to return to the club he coached for four seasons from 2003-07. He led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals his first season. The 61-year-old Carlisle decided to leave the Mavericks last week, a day after general manager Donnie Nelson left the club. Dallas owner Mark Cuban said it was Carlisle's decision to leave. After a decade as an assistant coach, Carlisle's first head coaching job was with Detroit in 2001. He spent two seasons with the Pistons, leaving after leading them to the East finals in 2003. Carlisle will be the Pacers' third coach in less than 12 months. Nate McMillan was fired in August after four consecutive first-round playoff exits. McMillan’s replacement, Nate Bjorkgren, was fired after one tumultuous season with Indiana. The Pacers are betting... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kevin Pritchard hired Nate Bjorkgren to take the Indiana Pacers in a new direction. They went the wrong way. A season filled with defensive struggles, missed chances and locker room drama resulted Wednesday in the firing of Bjorkgren after only one season as coach. “This was my decision," said Pritchard, the Pacers' president of basketball operations. “This was a really tough decision, one that had a lot of thought behind it. I brought in my management team, something we didn’t do lightly.” Pritchard expected the 45-year-old coach, who spent the previous two seasons as Nick Nurse's top assistant in Toronto, to make an impact with his new-age approach and his creativity. When the hiring was announced in October, Pritchard acknowledged he was betting big on a young coach. It just didn't pay off. Indiana went 34-38 before finishing the season with an embarrassing 142-115 loss to Washington in the play-in tournament — a fitting end to an abysmal season. The Wizards averaged... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kevin Pritchard hired Nate Bjorkgren to take the Indiana Pacers in a new direction. They wound up going the wrong way. After struggling defensively, missing the playoffs for the first time in six seasons and amid reports of locker room drama, the Pacers pulled the plug Wednesday when Pritchard, their president of basketball operations, fired Bjorkgren as coach after just one season. “The 2020-21 season was not what any of us hoped or anticipated it would be, and our results on the court certainly did not meet the standards for what our organization and our fans have come to expect,” Pritchard said in a statement. Indiana went 34-38, finishing the season with an embarrassing 142-115 loss to Washington in the play-in tournament. The Pacers also produced their first losing season at home in 32 years, and at times the effort didn't appear to be there, either. A rash of injuries was part of the problem. Indiana's top scorer in 2019-20, T.J. Warren, suffered a season-ending... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Now that the Indiana Pacers' long, injury-riddled season is over, the hard part begins. President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is embarking on yet another offseason filled with questions, the first being whether to keep coach Nate Bjorkgren. Pritchard hired the 45-year-old former Raptors assistant in October, hopeful he could forge tight bonds with players and implement a new philosophy to keep his team fresh for a long postseason run. It didn't work. Rumors of internal strife surfaced late in the season, which culminated with an embarrassing 142-115 season-ending loss at Washington. “Coach really did his best this year," guard Malcolm Brogdon said afterward. “Regardless of the reports, regardless of all the distractions and the noise, he continued to communicate with his players. He continued to work extremely hard for us and coach us the best he could, and we appreciated that. That’s what I just told him in the locker room: I appreciate him. I appreciate... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they are suspending assistant coach Greg Foster for one game and fining center Goga Bitadze an undisclosed for an argument they had during a loss to Sacramento. A statement from the team called it an “internal matter" and no additional details will be released. The third-quarter incident Wednesday began after Bitadze allowed Maurice Harkless to grab a rebound and score on a dunk, which prompted Foster to scold Bitadze for his effort. When Bitadze answered by making a 3-pointer, he appeared to curse at Foster. Finally, when play stopped with 2:26 to go, a heated exchange between the two occurred and another player intervened to prevent it from escalating. Indiana's defense has struggled all season and is currently allowing 115.0 points per game, 25th in the league. The Pacers have given up at least 109 points in 17 of their last 19 games and have now fallen into the 10th and final spot in the East to make the play-in round. Bitadze,... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. was carted off the court and fitted for a neck brace after colliding with Indiana Pacers center Goga Bitadze late in the third quarter Friday.Jones was trying to get around a screen when he ran into the 6-foot-11 Bitadze and fell to the floor. The Heat announced via Twitter after their 109-92 loss that Jones had a neck strain and had undergone an MRI, CT scan and concussion test. The Heat said Jones would be re-evaluated over the weekend.During his postgame press conference, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra urged caution before reacting one way or another until all tests have been completed. But the initial signs, including that Jones had movement and was not reporting numbness in his extremities, were considered positive.The Heat face the Pacers in an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series beginning Tuesday.Players from both teams stood on the court in silence as Heat personnel and eventually emergency medical workers tended... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. was carted off the court and fitted for a neck brace after colliding with Indiana Pacers center Goga Bitadze late in the third quarter Friday.Jones was trying to get around a screen when he ran into the 6-foot-11 Bitadze and fell to the floor. Jones lay on his stomach for several minutes with his right hand over the back of his head.Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Miami's 109-92 loss that the issue was with Jones' shoulder and neck. Jones was evaluated by doctors on-site and was getting more tests Friday night, including an MRI and CT scan. Spoelstra urged caution before reacting one way or another until all tests have been completed. But the initial signs, including that Jones had movement and was not reporting numbness in his extremities, were considered positive.The Heat face the Pacers in an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series beginning Tuesday.Players from both teams stood on the court in silence as Heat... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. was carted off the court and fitted for a neck brace after colliding with Indiana Pacers center Goga Bitadze late in the third quarter Friday.Jones was trying to get around a screen from Bitadze when he collided with the 6-foot-11 center and fell to the floor. Jones lay on his stomach for several minutes with his right hand over the back of his head.He had a towel over as he was carted off the court.Players from both teams stood on the court in silence as Heat personnel and eventually emergency medical workers tended to Jones. Once the brace was on, they rolled him onto a backboard and lifted him onto a stretcher before wheeling him off the floor.Heat center Bam Adebayo, one of Jones’ closest friends on the team and someone who was not playing in Friday’s game, followed the group of rescue workers off the floor. Jones appeared to have movement in most of his extremities, and was tapping the toes of his sneakers on the court several times while being evaluated.The Heat did not have any immediate diagnosis.Jones has averaged 8.6 points, 4 rebounds and 23.4 minutes for the Heat this season. He won the slam dunk championship during the All-Star break.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Victor Oladipo spends most of his summers playing basketball and working on skills.Over the past few months, he's been working on his mind.The Indiana Pacers' two-time All-Star believes it will make him a stronger player when he returns from a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee."Rehab is pretty strategic," Oladipo said Friday at the team's annual media day. "But the mind is another muscle that you need to work on and so that's what I'm trying to do because that can help with the healing process and the overall process."While neither Oladipo nor team officials have established a target date for his return, president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in June he was hopeful Oladipo could be playing again by December or January. Center Myles Turners, last season's league champion in blocked shots, believes Oladipo could be back even sooner."I just know how Vic's wired," Turner said. "He's been attacking the whole process. He's already doing stuff on the court.... [More]