Sources: Tyrese Haliburton will be re-evaluated after Indiana Pacers road trip with Grade 1 hamstring strain
Multiple sources shared with AllPacers this morning that Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has a left hamstring strain, which was revealed after an MRI. One of those sources confirmed a report from ESPN that it is a Grade 1 strain.
The MRI took place on Tuesday morning. Haliburton will be re-evaluated after the Pacers upcoming West Coast road trip, a journey that spans six games and ends on January 21.
That, combined with Indiana's game vs Washington at home tomorrow night, means that the Pacers will be without Haliburton for at least seven games, if not more. Being cautious seems like the right move for the blue and gold, especially if they can remain steady with their star sidelined. Currently, the Pacers are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and are in a five-way tie at 21-15.
Haliburton went down with the injury during the second quarter of Indiana's win over Boston last night. He tried to move and shake it off but couldn't, and he was quickly surrounded by teammates and Pacers staffers. Veterans James Johnson and Buddy Hield carried Haliburton to the locker room.
"It's always sad to see one of the guys go down," Hield said in the locker room after the game. He's been teammates with the Pacers star for his entire career. "That's my brother, we love him a lot."
T.J. McConnell put a towel over Haliburton's head so fans couldn't see him exit the floor. The Pacers held on to win 133-131.
Haliburton currently leads all Eastern Conference guards in All-Star voting and is having a magnificent season. He is averaging 23.6 points and 12.5 assists per game, the latter of which is leading the league. He is the engine for Indiana's offense.
He's been completely absent for three games this season, and the Pacers are 1-2 without him. They have a +5.46 net rating with Haliburton on the court this year and a -3.09 net rating when he's on the bench, per pbpstats.
Three weeks from today, Indiana travels to Boston to take on the Celtics on TNT. With that game being on National TV, Haliburton has been looking forward to it. It will be worth monitoring if he can be back in time for that outing.
The Pacers play in 32 hours against the Wizards, where they will begin navigating their temporary life with Haliburton.
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