Despite facing an initial setback at the beginning of their semifinal series, the Indiana Pacers won their latest matchup against the New York Knicks. Much of the credit for this can go to Tyrese Haliburton, who led the scoring effort. However, with the Knicks leading 2-1, Jalen Brunson and co need just two more wins to eliminate the Pacers. The upcoming Game 4 will provide an opportunity to even out the score– An opportunity that the Pacers will be looking to make complete use of. Unfortunately, the franchise may have to go into the game without their star scorer.

A few hours ago, NBA reporter Scott Agness released details from the Pacers and the Knicks’ recently released Injury Report. According to it, Tyrese Haliburton continues to remain in the ‘Questionable’ category. The same Injury status has followed the player for the past six games. The Indiana team also welcomes a new entry in the report, as shooting guard Aaron Nesmith is now listed under the same category as his teammate.

The 2x NBA All-Star had initially been listed on the Injury Report due to lower back spasms. The ailment, however, wasn’t that severe. It allowed the player to conclude the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks and then compete against the Knicks. In the aftermath of Game 3, after the player had recorded his highest score of the ongoing playoffs, he revealed that he had developed multiple injuries during his on-court minutes. The same was seen occurring as the 4th quarter was coming to a close. During the final 9:25 minutes, the player accidentally landed hard on his tailbone after a failed attempt at making a layover. A few minutes later, he would end up twisting his ankle.

Ironically, while Game 3 was one of Haliburton’s best nights due to his scoring, it was also one of his worst due to the back-to-back injuries.

“My just overall body right now. I’m hurtin” said Haliburton during the post-game press conference. “But they got guys hurting too. We gotta understand that everybody’s hurting right now. Thank God we got a day in between. I’m young and I’ll heal up and be ready on Sunday.”

Aaron Nesmith is someone who was reportedly absent from the Injury Report throughout the series. Unfortunately, his impressive streak was broken after the player injured his shoulder while making a dive during the very same game. Having been diagnosed with ‘right shoulder soreness,’ Nesmith is another scorer whose possible absence can affect the franchise during the upcoming game.

Knicks star player OG Anunoby, who was absent from Game 3 due to a hamstring strain, continues to remain in the ‘Out’ Category. However, on a more fortunate note, lead scorer Jalen Brunson has now been removed from the Injury Report. Given that he scored 40+ points during four of his last six matchups, a fully healthy Brunson is the last thing the Pacers want to add to their troubles.

How has Tyrese Haliburton performed in the last 3 games against the New York Knicks?

Tyrese Haliburton’s ongoing semifinal series did not have a good start. During his 36 minutes in Game 1, the player could only score 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 8 assists. This resulted from his 2-6 field goals and 2-5 three-pointers with zero free throw attempts. Furthermore, given that the Pacers lost the game by a score of 121-117, the same could have been prevented if the player had made a more significant contribution. Whether his poor performance was a turning point or not, the player’s next two games would turn out to be one of his best.

Haliburton dropped a score of 34 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists during Game 2. The points total was the highest the player had added to the overall score since the 37 points he made back in November 2023. The same was the result of his 11-19 field goals, 7-11 three-pointers, and 5-6 free throws. While the 24-year-old led the scoring effort, his teammates couldn’t reach his standards this time, and the Pacers lost again. To his credit, Haliburton upped the ante from his previous game and dropped 35 points. This allowed him to reportedly become the fifth player in the history of the NBA to have back-to-back 30-point performances and 6+ 3PM during the playoffs.

Tyrese Haliburton has shown that he is what the Pacers need to quash the championship chances of the Knicks. However, with the injuries having taken their tool, only time will tell whether the player will make himself available at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the next few hours.