Indiana star guard Victor Oladipo will be in the lineup today as the Pacers take on the Portland Trail Blazers (3:30 ET, NBA TV) in their first scrimmage game of the 2019-20 restart.
The status of the two-time All-Star swingman had been in doubt for the restart after he initially ruled himself out of the mix back on July 3. Less than two weeks later, Oladipo told reporters he may end up playing in the restart and today’s starting nod seems to be a step in that direction.
Oladipo, who returned from a ruptured quadriceps tendon injury earlier this season, originally said he wanted to continue focusing on his rehab when he ruled himself out. He played in 13 games before the coronavirus forced a stoppage in play on March 11. He was working his way into shape after returning from injury and even scored a season-high 27 points on the eve of the season’s suspension.
The Pacers will enter the restart as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, with their first seeding game coming against the No. 6 seed Philadelphia 76ers on Aug. 1.
