In the thick of a heated playoff race, the Indiana Pacers have lost three consecutive games. There’s no reason for Frank Vogel’s team to panic, though – help is on the way.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Pacers expect injured superstar Paul George to make his season debut at some point in the next week.
The Indiana Pacers are targeting the next week for Paul George’s season debut, multiple sources told ESPN.com.
The team is considering bringing George back as early as Saturday’s home game against the Brooklyn Nets, but no final decision on that had been reached, sources said. The Pacers will play four games in the next seven days.
George has been sidelined ever since sustaining a gruesome injury during a nationally televised Team USA scrimmage in early August. Though it was widely assumed he’d miss all of 2014-2015 immediately following the injury, the three-time All-Star has stressed the possibility of a late season debut since early fall.
Though he’s targeted mid-March as a return date for the past few months, more recent momentum suggested George would sit out the season’s remainder. The reigning All-NBA Third Team honoree openly wondered last week whether his late season addition might throw off the rhythm Indiana has developed since the All-Star break.
Following three straight losses and presumed additional progress in his recovery, though, George and the Pacers obviously believe getting him back on the court is best for the team’s chances. Indiana began a stretch of five games in seven days tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a slate that includes a home game versus the Houston Rockets and road tilts with the Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks.
The 30-37 Pacers come into tonight’s action at ninth-place in the Eastern Conference, tied with the eighth-place Boston Celtics and just a game back of the seventh-place Miami Heat.
[ESPN]
