Injury-depleted Pacers suffer another big blow as Johnny Furphy tears ACL in right knee

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The injury-depleted Indiana Pacers have been dealt another blow, announcing Monday that second-year forward Johnny Furphy is expected to miss the rest of this season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Furphy was hurt during the third quarter of Sunday's 122-104 loss at Toronto. Team officials issued a three-paragraph statement Monday saying the Australian was taken to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and an MRI confirmed the extent of the injury. Indiana is in New York to face the Knicks on Tuesday.

Furphy is yet another addition to an expansive injury list headlined by two-time All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who has been ruled out for the rest of this season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of June's NBA Finals.

Starters Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and key backups Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell have all missed games with injuries this season. The result: Indiana has the league's second-worst record at 13-40. The absences, however, gave Furphy, a second-round draft pick in 2024 out of Kansas, a chance to show what he could do in 21 starts. He was averaging 5.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

The Pacers also could be dealing with yet another injured player — new center Ivica Zubac, who Indiana acquired last week in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. He's been dealing with an ankle injury since December and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said recently that Zubac won't play until he's “really ready.”

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