Indiana Pacers G/F Jeremy Lamb will undergo season-ending knee surgery after tearing his ACL and meniscus in Sunday’s game vs. the Toronto Raptors. It was a rough loss for the Pacers, 127-81, and now the team gets even worse news with Lamb done for the year.
Lamb had been coming off the bench with Victor Oladipo back in the lineup. With Dipo out on Sunday, we saw Aaron Holiday start in his place. With Lamb sidelined the rest of the year, the Pacers are down another wing player, though they have some depth at the SG and SF positions.
Fantasy basketball and betting analysis
Lamb likely wasn’t a big asset in season-long fantasy basketball. If you are in a deeper league and need a replacement, Aaron Holiday and Justin Holiday are both decent options. Doug McDermott should also pick up more minutes off the bench. Really, this means the Pacers may have to lean on Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon more. Same goes for T.J. Warren.
The Pacers are a long shot to win it all on DraftKings Sportsbook at +6600. There aren’t even lines on the Central Division since the Bucks are running away with it right now. Indiana is +2500 to win the conference, though losing Lamb is a small dent in the armor. Really, you aren’t considering any of these bets for the Pacers given how tough the East is going to be come playoff time. At 33-24, it’ll be tough for the Pacers to jump up from the No. 6 seed, though they have a solid cushion on the Nets, who are 26-29 and the No. 7 seed.