The Curse Continues: Johnny Furphy’s Scary Injury Highlights Another Pacers Heartbreak in Toronto

If you thought the basketball gods had finally run out of lightning bolts to hurl at the Indiana Pacers during this absolute train wreck of a 2025-26 season, think again with Johnny Furphy injuring his leg. They apparently had one more saved up for Sunday night in Toronto, and it was a nasty one.

It wasn’t enough that the Pacers were in the middle of getting drubbed 122-104 by the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. It wasn’t enough that the loss pushed Indiana’s record to a mournful 13-40. No, the universe decided to twist the knife by seeing sophomore forward Johnny Furphy leave the court in a wheelchair.

If you’re a Pacers fan, you aren’t asking for wins anymore. You’re just asking to get through 48 minutes without someone needing an MRI. Apparently, even that is too much to ask.

A Moment of Brilliance For Johnny Turns into a Nightmare

The incident happened in the third quarter, and frankly, it started as one of the few highlights in a game that was otherwise tough to watch. Johnny Furphy, the 21-year-old former Kansas Jayhawk who has been one of the few bright spots of youthful energy this year, made a sharp cut to the basket.

He went up, threw it down, and for a split second, things looked good. Then gravity took over.

Johnny Furphy landed awkwardly—the kind of landing that makes everyone in the arena and watching at home collectively wince. He immediately grabbed his right knee. If you’ve watched sports long enough, you know the grab. It wasn’t a “let me walk this off” grimace; it was a “something is very wrong” panic.

He had to be helped off the floor initially, but the sight that really punched fans in the gut was seeing him wheeled toward the locker room shortly after. The official word from the team is “right leg soreness,” which is the classic vague medical terminology that tells us absolutely nothing while letting us fear everything.

Before the injury, Johnny Furphy had logged 15 minutes, put up four points, three assists, and two boards. He was playing hard in a blowout. You hate to see it happen to anyone, but seeing a young guy trying to prove himself get carried off? That’s the worst part of the business.

The Tankathon Rolls on: Pacers Fall to 13-40

Let’s talk about the actual basketball, briefly, because we have to.

The loss to Toronto extended the Pacers’ current skid to four games. At 13-40, we are deep into “Ping Pong Ball” territory. The Raptors aren’t exactly the ’96 Bulls, but they handled Indiana with relative ease.

It’s hard to analyze the X’s and O’s when the team is barely recognizable. The defense was porous, allowing 122 points, and the offense just couldn’t keep pace. But really, analyzing the box score of a game like this feels like critiquing the upholstery on the Titanic. The ship is going down; the only question is how much damage it takes on the way to the bottom.

The Roster Shuffle: Who Is Even Playing?

To be fair to the guys on the floor, they are fighting an uphill battle with one hand tied behind their back and the other hand holding a heavy weight.

The absence of Tyrese Haliburton is the black hole in the center of this season. Missing your franchise point guard for the entire 2025-26 campaign is a death sentence for playoff hopes, but it also just drains the joy out of the product. Then you add in Obi Toppin being sidelined, and the depth chart starts looking like a pickup game roster.

To make matters more chaotic, the trade deadline just passed. The Pacers made moves, acquiring big man Ivica Zubac and forward Kobe Brown. Are they with the team yet? No. They are likely stuck in physicals/travel limbo. So, you have a depleted roster, missing its best player, missing its new acquisitions, and now watching one of its young prospects get wheeled off the floor.

Coach Carlisle is a wizard, but even he can’t pull a rabbit out of a hat when the hat is on fire.

Looking Ahead: Madison Square Garden Awaits

So, what’s next for the battered Blue and Gold? A trip to the Mecca.

The Pacers look to rebound (or just survive) on Tuesday against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Usually, a trip to MSG is a highlight of the season. The lights are brighter, the popcorn smells better, and the energy is electric.

Right now? It feels like walking into a buzzsaw. The Knicks are always a physical matchup, and an Indiana team running on fumes and G-League call-ups is going to have to dig deep just to stay competitive.

We’re all hoping for good news on Furphy. In a season defined by losses, keeping the young core healthy is the only victory that actually matters. Get well soon, Johnny. Pacers nation needs a break.