TJ McConnell's Hamstring Taps Out Early as Nuggets Crush Pacers

TJ McConnell is officially done for the night with a hamstring injury, which might actually be a mercy ruling given what the Denver Nuggets are currently doing to the Indiana Pacers.

Underdog NBA reported that the veteran point guard will not play the second half in Indianapolis. Anyone watching the 74-49 bloodbath unfold could probably guess that throwing a 34-year-old back into a 25-point deficit with a tight hamstring is a fireable offense.

"Underdog NBA tweeted: 'TJ McConnell (hamstring) will not play 2nd half vs Nuggets.'"

This is not exactly a new problem for McConnell. He has been battling this same hamstring issue for a while, missing time earlier this season and popping up as a game-time decision just a couple of weeks ago. When healthy, he is the undisputed engine of the second unit, averaging 9.4 points and 5.1 assists in about 17 minutes a night.

The Pacers without McConnell are basically a car without a steering wheel. We saw it in past playoff series where Indiana would be +19 with him on the floor and a catastrophic -32 when he sat. Right now, they are just trying to survive the Denver buzzsaw without their most reliable floor general.

Live bettors who had Indiana covering any sort of second-half spread are officially drawing dead. Without McConnell's elite ball security—he recently posted an absurd 6.9 assists to 0.7 turnovers ratio over a 10-game stretch—the Pacers are going to bleed possessions against a defense that is already suffocating them.

The focus now shifts to Tuesday when Indiana travels to face the Dallas Mavericks. Hamstrings are notoriously stubborn, and given his recent history of setbacks, do not be shocked if McConnell is wearing street clothes when the team lands in Texas.