Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin will miss at least three months due to a stress fracture in his right foot that will require surgery, coach Rick Carlisle said Friday.
The team said Toppin is planning to have surgery in New York in the latest setback for an injury-plagued team that lost its first five games coming off a trip to the NBA Finals. Two-time All-Star Tyrese Halliburton could miss the entire season after tearing his right Achilles tendon in the Game 7 loss to Oklahoma City in the title series.
The Pacers, who were blown out by the Atlanta Hawks, 128-108, at home on Friday night, are missing two more starters in Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Mathurin is week-to-week with a foot injury, and Nembhard has a left shoulder strain.
Guard TJ McConnell has yet to play this season due to a left hamstring strain. Toppin averaged 14.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in the first three games before sitting out a 107-105 loss to Dallas on Wednesday.
The No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft has played at least 62 games in each of his first five seasons. The first three seasons were with the New York Knicks before an offseason trade in 2023.
Despite the injuries and being on the second night of a back-to-back, the Pacers snapped their winless start after stunning the Golden State Warriors, 114-109, Saturday in Indianapolis. Guard Quenton Jackson led Indiana after scoring 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter.