The Celtics and the Pacers are currently facing off in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals series. The Celtics won the first matchup and seem to be on their way to recording a 2nd win with a 113-97 score with just 4:33 minutes remaining. To catch up, the Pacers will have to make the most efficient use of their offense. Unfortunately, that won’t be possible because of a recent update involving the team’s second-highest average scorer Tyrese Haliburton.
A few minutes ago, the 24-year-old developed a left leg soreness. This caused him to head to the locker room. This incident occurred barely some time before it was reported that the player had gotten himself checked for a sore chest. The official Pacers handle has now confirmed that Haliburton won’t return for the duration of the game.
Injury Update: Tyrese Haliburton (left leg soreness) will not return to tonight's game.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 24, 2024
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Within 28 minutes, the player had 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists, along with one steal. He shot 4-8 from the field and 2-6 three-pointers. Adrian Wojnarowski highlighted that Haliburton departed after his injury was confirmed as a left hamstring soreness. This ailment is something that the player has gotten a bit of experience in dealing with during the ongoing tournament.
Back in January, he had a similar situation during a regular season game against the Boston Celtics. He was forced to miss out on the next six matchups. However, he hadn’t recovered fully and the Point Guard had to drop out of 4 more games as well. The Pacers were fortunately able to hold their own, establishing a 6-4 win record in Haliburton’s absence.
Attendees at the TD Garden were once again treated to a victory after the Celtics recently concluded Game 2 by defeating the Pacers by a 126-110 score.
Did Tyrese Haliburton’s hamstring injury cause a drop in his overall performance?
After incurring the left hamstring strain in January, Haliburton returned by the end of the month and continued to soldier on. However, it didn’t take long for fans and analysts to notice that something was off.
When the Pacers were facing off against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, fans of the latter team were worried since their star scorer, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was unavailable to represent the franchise. However, Jason Timpf gave some assurances by stating, “The main point of optimism there, if you’re a Bucks fan, is Tyrese Haliburton hasn’t really been the same guy that he was since he hurt his hamstring. That, to me, is something that we’ll have to see ‘the bear’ out there”.
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During Haliburton’s first 35 games of this season, he secured an average of 23.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 12.5 assists. After returning to the lineup after his 10-game absence, it went down to 16.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists. However, his situation improved once they faced the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. Within 7 games against the NY team, his average stats went up to 21.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7 assists.
As of now, there is no further update on Tyrese Haliburton’s condition. The Cs need only two more wins to head to the NBA Finals. Therefore, they will hope that the return of the hamstring strain won’t prevent him from missing out on any more playing time.
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