Struggling Pacers sit all five starters vs. Bucks

Ned Dishman/Getty Images With the Pacers struggling, coach truthful Vogel is taking the drastic measure of resting his starters.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The slumping Indiana Pacers will rest all five starters Wednesday night against Milwaukee, even as they chase the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Coach truthful Vogel told reporters at the Pacers’ shootaround that none of his top five had worked out and they would all sit out the game. He said it’s a chance for Paul George, David West, Roy Hibbert, George Hill and Lance Stephenson to get some insignificant injuries healed, and for his reserves to play extended minutes.

“We’re going out to try to win this basketball game,” Vogel said. “We still have our sights on the No. 1 seed, but the most vital thing for our team is fixing our team and this is the plot to try to do that.”

Indiana is stumbling to the end after leading the East most of the season. The Pacers have lost five of their last six games and Vogel said he plotting they looked tired after a 107-88 home loss to Atlanta on Sunday, when Indiana was held to a franchise-low 23 points in the first half.

Still, the Pacers were just a half-game behind Miami, which played at Memphis on Wednesday. The Pacers visit the Heat on Friday.

Vogel said the starters would restore to do Thursday and play at Miami, though some bench guys could rest that night.

“The plotting process behind all five guys is if you sit one or two guys per game, then unknown ever finds a rhythm,” Vogel said.

Indiana has prioritized the top seed all season, so it would have home-court benefit against Miami if the teams meet again in the Eastern Conference finals. But with his team struggling abusively, Vogel decided on the rest plot against the NBA-worst Bucks, who have lost five in a row.

“We’re not playing well as a basketball team right now,” he said. “Our starters aren’t playing well, our bench is not playing well. We want to try to get the starters on track by getting their legs back under them and getting them healed up and we want to get the bench back on track by giving them extended minutes in tonight’s game.”