Pacers hit with worrisome Tyrese Haliburton injury update for Game 3 vs. Celtics

The questionable label provides the Pacers some hope that Haliburton will be able to suit up on Saturday when they host the Celtics. However, considering the quick turnaround since Haliburton suffered the injury, it’s hard not to be concerned.

For those who missed it, Haliburton sustained the hamstring problem in Game 2 against the Celtics on Thursday. The All-Star guard left the game in the third quarter and didn’t return, sitting out the whole fourth quarter as they lost 126-110. Haliburton played 28 minutes and finished with just 10 points on top of four rebounds, eight assists and one steal.

After the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle admitted that Haliburton was already sore at halftime, and despite the playmaker trying to battle through it in the second half, the team’s trainer eventually decided to pull him out.

“He was sore at halftime. He was getting work done for the entirety of halftime. He came out, gave it a shot and all the effort that he could. I haven’t talked to him about it directly, so I can’t read minds, but it wasn’t going well. The trainers determined that he had to be brought to the back and get worked on, and then he was ruled out,” Carlisle shared.

Tyrese Haliburton’s playoff performance

Sure enough, Tyrese Haliburton will try to fight through the injury to suit up in Game 3. He knows very well how important the showdown is, especially with the Pacers trailing the Celtics 2-0 in the series. Put simply, Indiana can no longer afford to lose or else they will face a legitimate threat of getting swept.

Haliburton is averaging 18.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.3 steals against just 2.1 turnovers per game in the 2024 Playoffs. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals when they nearly upset the Celtics, the Pacers star dropped 25 points and 10 assists along with three steals and one block.

It is clear that Indiana needs Haliburton if they want to win in Game 3, so his potential absence will be a huge blow. Even if he plays, though, it remains to be seen if he’ll be limited in any way. It’s tough and tricky to recover from hamstring issues, and if he’s not at his best, it would be just as problematic for the Pacers.

With Haliburton’s injury, the pressure is now on Pascal Siakam and the rest of the team to step up and lessen the workload on their star player if he ends up playing. The Celtics are a hard team to beat, thanks to their great balance of offense and defense. Having said that, Indiana already showed that there can be cracks on the armor of this deep Boston squad. Maybe with their backs against the wall, they will be able to mount a better response with or without their best player.