Ivica Zubac Leaves Arena on Crutches, Handing the Desperate Bucks a Massive Break

Ivica Zubac leaving an arena on crutches after a negative X-ray is the medical equivalent of getting a "we need to talk" text. You might survive the encounter, but your immediate future is going to be incredibly uncomfortable.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed postgame that his starting center is dealing with a heavily swollen left ankle. While the initial imaging dodged the worst-case scenario of a break, Carlisle admitted Zubac is highly unlikely to suit up for Tuesday night's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.

"Rick Carlisle said Zubac's ankle is swollen and it's unlikely he'll play tomorrow night."

Losing your anchor in the paint is a brutal blow for an Indiana squad that just got done hanging 136 points on the Brooklyn Nets to improve to 2-1 on the young season.

Zubac is a legitimate problem around the rim when he is right. He averaged 15.2 points and 8.6 rebounds out of the gates last October, and his absence leaves a massive void in the middle of the floor for a team that relies on his screening and rebounding.

This injury update is absolute music to the ears of a Milwaukee team that is currently in full panic mode. The Bucks have stumbled out of the gate to a miserable 0-3 record, dropping highly winnable games to the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls before losing to the Philadelphia 76ers.

From a betting perspective, this completely changes the math for Tuesday's Central Division clash. Without Zubac clogging the lane, Milwaukee is going to see a runway to the rim that usually does not exist, shifting the total and the spread in a hurry.

The Pacers are already dealing with a depleted roster, including Johnny Furphy being sidelined with a torn ACL. Indiana will likely have to downshift into smaller, faster lineups to try and run the desperate Bucks out of the building.

We will not get a concrete recovery timeline for Zubac until the swelling subsides and the medical staff can get a better look. Until then, expect the Pacers to lean heavily on their track-meet offense to survive the week.