Victor Oladipo of the Pacers day to day after leaving the first game against Heat with an eye injury

Tuesday was not a good day for the Indiana Pacers. Not only did they lose the first game of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series to the Miami Heat, 113-101, their star goalie Victor Oladipo was injured in the process.

At the end of the first quarter, Oladipo was battling for a loose ball with Jae Crowder, when the Heat forward inadvertently shoved him in the eye. Although he initially stayed in the game to shoot his free throws, doing both, Oladipo later left the game and did not return. Fortunately, he did not suffer a serious injury, the team ad later Tuesday evening.

“The initial assessment showed no immediate concerns and Oladipo will be watched over the next few days,” the Pacers said in a statement. “Its status is day to day.”

This is great news for Oladipo and the Pacers, especially after first reports from head coach Nate McMillan, who said: “His vision was really blurry. Really couldn’t see with his eyes when we got him talked at halftime, and he’s going to get that checked out. “

It’s still unclear if Oladipo will miss any games, although the fact that the schedule is condensed inside the bubble certainly doesn’t help in that regard. Already down 1-0 in the series, the Pacers would be in a real mess if Oladipo couldn’t return soon, especially with Domantas Sabonis already sidelined with plantar fasciitis.

The Heat were one of the best offensive teams in the league this season, with the seventh best offensive rating (111.9) and second best 3-point percentage (37.9). While the Pacers are a resilient squad and have a lot of experience playing without Oladipo this season, it’s hard to see how they can keep up without these two stars.

The first game was a perfect example of why it will be so difficult for them. They got 22 points each from TJ Warren and Malcolm Brogdon, scored 23 points on the turnovers and got 35 points off the bench. That’s about all you can ask these different departments, and they’ve lost double digits again.

Hopefully Oladipo doesn’t run out of time, otherwise what was to be one of the most competitive first-round series could come to an end quite quickly.