Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle offered a pair of encouraging yet cautious injury updates Saturday that will shape the franchise’s short-term rotation and playoff hopes.

Carlisle said Aaron Nesmith will likely miss “at least four weeks” after suffering a left-knee sprain in Thursday’s loss at Phoenix, but he stressed the injury does not appear to be severe and that Nesmith could return sooner than expected. The coach asked to be checked in on Dec. 15 as a rough timeline for the wing’s availability.

That news stings for a Pacers squad already adjusting to key absences , but it also comes with relief. Carlisle confirmed there’s no structural tear, Nesmith is walking without a brace, and the prognosis leans toward short-term recovery rather than long-term shutdown. Nesmith has bee

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