Nathaniel S. Butler
The Indiana Pacers lost to the New York Knicks 119-113 on Wednesday night, and while the Pacers would’ve liked a win, even more importantly, they lost star guard Tyrese Haliburton in the third quarter to what the team announced was a sore left knee. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after the game that Haliburton would get “checked out” Thursday to determine the severity of the injury and noted that he left the arena on crutches.
The injury occurred with 2:44 remaining in the third quarter as Haliburton drove toward the rim. As he contorted in the air to get his shot off around the rim, he landed awkwardly and stayed on the ground as play resumed on the other end of the floor. The Pacers intentionally fouled to stop play, and Haliburton limped straight back to the locker room with one shoe off. Here’s how the injury occurred:
Carlisle also noted that Haliburton injured his left elbow and knee on that play. The Pacers initially announced Haliburton as questionable to return to the game, but five minutes after announcing that, he was ruled out for the remainder of the game. At the time of his injury, Haliburton had 15 points and seven assists.
Losing Haliburton would be a significant blow to a Pacers team that has been one of the surprise teams of the first half of the season. With a 23-19 record, Indiana sits at the No. 7 spot in the East standings, as Haliburton has put together a season worthy of an All-Star appearance. After being traded to the Pacers at last year’s trade deadline, Haliburton has been putting up career highs across the board, including leading the league in assists with 10.3 a night. He’s also averaging 20.3 points as Indiana’s leading scorer.
If Haliburton’s forced to miss time, the Pacers will have to rely on the likes of Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, the latter of whom was a late scratch to Wednesday night’s game after experiencing back spasms before tipoff.
