Pacers' Andrew Nembhard: Trending in right direction

Head coach Rick Carlisle said he believes Nembhard (back) will play against the Heat on Saturday, Alex Golden of the 'Setting the Pace' podcast reports.

Nembhard missed Thursday's win over the Hornets due to lower-back soreness but appears to be trending in the right direction ahead of Saturday's contest. He'll likely suit up barring any setbacks during his pregame warmups and will presumably be a game-time decision ahead of tipoff at 7:00 p.m. ET. If the 25-year-old point guard is ultimately ruled out, T.J. McConnell, Quenton Jackson and Ben Sheppard are candidates for increased minutes. Over his last five games, Nembhard has averaged 16.8 points, 7.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 32.2 minutes per tilt.