Not only did the Indiana Pacers suffer a double-digit loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night, they lost All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton to an injury.
Haliburton left in the third quarter due to a sore hamstring. He dealt with a similar injury earlier in the season and missed 10 games because of it.
“He was sore at halftime,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, via ESPN. “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 about it directly to him, so I can’t read minds, but it wasn’t going well. The trainers determined he had to be brought to the back to be worked on, and then he was ruled out.”
Obviously, that’s not what the fans in Indiana want to hear. The Pacers need Haliburton on the floor if they’re going to win the Eastern Conference.
The Pacers are hoping to learn more about Haliburton’s status this Friday.
In the event Haliburton can’t play, the Pacers will ask T.J. McConnell to step up.
McConnell, who is averaging 10.8 points and 5.1 assists per game this postseason, is ready to step up to the challenge.
“We’ve done a good job of that when he’s been out,” McConnell said. “It hurts when he goes down, but one of those things where it’s the ‘next man up’ mentality. Obviously, we’ll see. We haven’t heard anything yet, but guys will just have to step up.”
Game 3 between the Celtics and Pacers is set for Saturday night.