Braden Smith posts 19 and 10 in his first start for the six-man Pacers

Indiana rookie Braden Smith scored 19 points and handed out 10 assists in his first NBA start on Monday, a 108-104 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks in which the Pacers had only six players available. ESPN's box score has him at 8 of 13 from the field and 2 of 3 from three, with four rebounds and three steals in 42 minutes.

Before Monday, Smith had played 18 NBA minutes and scored one point, on a free throw against Miami last Friday, according to IndyStar. He found out at the pregame walk-through, about three hours before tip-off, that he would start at point guard.

The Pacers had 11 players out for injury, illness and rest, a group the AP said accounts for about 93% of the payroll. Pascal Siakam rested on the second night of a back-to-back, Ivica Zubac has a sprained left ankle, Andrew Nembhard has a cervical strain and Tyrese Haliburton has been out with a hamstring strain. Obi Toppin and Kelly Oubre Jr. dressed but didn't play.

Smith ran the offense anyway. Every Pacer who played scored in double figures: Jay Huff had 22, Quenton Jackson 20, Kobe Brown 16, Jarace Walker 15 and Jalen Slawson 12. Indiana cut a 15-point second-half deficit to two before Onyeka Okongwu scored the clinching basket with 10 seconds left. Smith cramped up late and missed the final possession. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Atlanta with 34.

"I don't think I've ever been a part of a game where six guys have dressed," Smith said afterward, per the Pacers' team site. Rick Carlisle, who also coached the six-man Pacers in 2004, called the effort "very inspirational."

Smith grew up in Westfield, Indiana, and started four years at Purdue. Monday's line came in a loss that dropped Indiana to 2-6 and extended its losing streak to five.

The opportunity won't stay this big. Once Siakam and the injured regulars come back, the minutes shrink, and Smith goes back to fighting for a rotation spot. Still, 10 assists in 42 minutes against Dyson Daniels and Luguentz Dort is real evidence for a player who hadn't made a field goal in the league until Monday.

Indiana plays at Memphis on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Watch whether Carlisle keeps Smith in the rotation once more bodies are available, and how he handles a Grizzlies team coming off its first loss of the season.