Tyrese Haliburton was ejected from the game in the Indiana Pacers’ Game 2 loss. Boston Celtics It’s at least his second hamstring injury this season, and his return during the NBA playoffs is in doubt.
With the Pacers down 2-0 heading into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski report The Pacers said they were “overly cautious with their franchise star,” and Indiana coach Rick Carlisle essentially acknowledged that before Saturday’s game, saying that while Haliburton “desperately wants to play,” the Pacers weren’t going to risk a more serious injury while playing through a different hamstring strain.
“I think he’s a great player,” Rick Carlisle said about Tyrese Haliburton before questions were asked at the pregame press conference.
“He really wants to play. The decision was put in his hands earlier today.” pic.twitter.com/8Fs2zxvRcN
— Noah Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 25, 2024
According to Woj’s follow-up TV report, it seems unlikely Haliburton will return to the playoffs this season.
Haliburton missed 10 games with the same injury earlier this season and appeared to have limited playing time upon his return, only playing the minimum 20 minutes required by the league to meet the new 65-game threshold for eligibility for the NBA’s All-NBA Teams. (Haliburton later said he was “very pleased” with the injury.) Selected to the third team,he Approximately $41 million in bonuses Based on the current supermax contract.
With Haliburton out, the Pacers are expected to use backup point guard and super sub TJ McConnell for as long as possible until his All-Star backcourt mate returns.
And if anyone is confident enough to be determined to shock the world by stealing a win from Boston, it’s McConnell. Our own Katie Heindle recently profiled McConnell as part of her playoff coverage.
“I have the ability to control how hard I play, so if I’m not giving 100 percent, then what am I doing?”
I profiled the pass steals, picked you off the 94-foot terror, and the ferocious power of your favorite NBA player’s favorite threat, TJ McConnell. https://t.co/GvodMmMRuX
— Katie Heindle (@wtevs) May 25, 2024
The Pacers will play Game 3 against the Celtics at 8:30 pm ET in Indiana and will air on ABC.
This post will be updated as Halliburton develops.
