Rick Carlisle Gives Insight on Tyrese Haliburton Decision, Game 4 Availability

The star will miss Game 3, but the remainder of the series is an unknown.

Oct 30, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) look on in the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Tyrese Haliburton will miss Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday with a hamstring injury. The Indiana Pacers are down 2-0 in the series to the Boston Celtics and are now without their top player as they look to ward off the possibility of a daunting three-game deficit.

The news came from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, but as tip-off neared, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle also provided some insight into the decision.

Carlisle firstly noted that the Pacers took the decision away from Haliburton, ultimately protecting him from himself.

"He very much wants to play. Desperately wants to play. But the decision on tonight was taken out of his hands earlier in the day. It was determined that tonight was not an option," Carlisle said according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Interestingly, Weiss said the coach added that Haliburton is, "feeling better," and said that the team will see how the injury is doing heading into Game 4 on Monday, which will be in Indianapolis.

Pascal Siakam, who is averaging 26 points per game in this series, will likely need to take on an even larger scoring load. The Pacers will also look to players like center Myles Turner, guard Andrew Nembhard, and role-players like Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell to shoulder larger loads offensively.