Last Thursday afternoon, the Pacers left for New York a happy and healthy team. They had defeated Milwaukee in their previous game, they were coming off a weeklong break for the All-Star game, the intended starting lineup was intact, and the overall roster was healthier than at any time this season.
In the dark hours of Monday morning, however, they returned from Toronto on the wrong side of a 46-point defeat that wasn't even the worst thing about the game. Jeremy Lamb suffered what turned out to be a season-ending injury to his left knee in the second quarter and Victor Oladipo's status was airborne after he sat out the game with lower back spasms suffered in the victory at New York.