Bennedict Mathurin’s importance to Indiana’s playoff surge can’t be overstated. His fearlessness, his punch off the bench — they’ve been the invisible glue binding the Pacers’ surging second unit all season. And yet, tonight in Milwaukee, as the Pacers look to seize a commanding 3-1 lead over the Bucks, Mathurin will not be suiting up.
Because sometimes, the cruelest twists aren’t the dramatic ones. They’re the small setbacks that quietly change everything. The timing couldn’t be worse for Indiana. When the Bucks’ defense clamped down and turned the halfcourt into a grind, Mathurin was often the antidote — attacking scrambling closeouts, forcing rotations, getting to the line.
Before tip-off, Rick Carlisle made it official: Bennedict Mathurin, ruled out with an abdominal bruise. It wasn’t entirely unexpected. Mathurin had been listed as questionable earlier in the day. But given his rising importance to Indiana’s postseason dreams, there was hope he might fight through it. That maybe adrenaline would carry him. Not this time.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle tells reporters that Bennedict Mathurin is out for Game 4 tonight.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 28, 2025
Game 4 was never going to be easy. Giannis Antetokounmpo is building another playoff masterpiece. Damian Lillard, after an abysmal Game 3, is a ticking time bomb ready to erupt. And for the Pacers, every possession was set to matter more than the last.
That’s why Mathurin’s absence hurts beyond the box score. Not just the 12 points per game he averaged this series. But the pressure he relieved, the driving lanes he opened, the restless, relentless energy he injected the moment he stepped on the floor. When the Bucks’ defense clamped down and turned the halfcourt into a grind, Mathurin was often the antidote — attacking scrambling closeouts, forcing rotations, getting to the line.
It’s also a cruel echo of last season, when Mathurin missed Indiana’s entire playoff run after a late-season shoulder injury. This year was supposed to be different. He had embraced a sixth-man role in February, showing growth in both shot selection and defensive engagement — and was poised to be a playoff X-factor.
(This is a developing story…)
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