NBA
Why isn’t Tyrese Haliburton playing for the Pacers against the Knicks in game 2 today?
The 24-year-old point guard was added to the injury report ahead of Game 4 against the Bucks after suffering from back spasms.
The Indiana Pacers hoped to have point guard Tyrese Haliburton in the team for Monday’s Eastern Conference semi-final Game 1 against the New York Knicks, and he was able to make it, although his performance did not stop the New York side form coming away with the win.
Halliburton reported back spasms ahead of the Pacers’ Game 4 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The two-time NBA All-Star was added to the injury report for the Bucks game but was deemed fit enough to play in the Pacers’ crucial series-deciding win.
Will Tyrese Haliburton play against the Knicks in game 2?
He is currently listed as ‘questionable’ by the Pacers on the official NBA injury list, meaning that a decision has not yet been made as to whether or not he is fit to play.
The 24-year-old has not yet missed a postseason game but his availability for Monday is listed as ‘Game Time Decision’ on the injury report. He averaged 19 points, 6.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds across his last three appearances before returning, although at Madison Square garden he only put up 6 shots (his second-fewest attempts this season) and scored just 6 points and 8 assists.
“I erred on the side of playmaking” he said afterwards, “and that wasn’t the right decision for me... I still got to be who I am, but yeah, I’ll just be better tomorrow”.
Haliburton hoping to learn from Indiana NFL star
The Indiana Pacers have not won the Eastern Conference championships since 2000 but their high-scoring 2023/24 performances have given fans hope that this could be their year. The Pacers recorded an NBA-high of 123.3 average points per game across the regular season, helped by the league’s most creative presence.
This season Haliburton topped the league for assists per game (10.9) and the highest number of assists in a single game, recording 23 against the New York Knicks.
The Indiana Colts’ Quenton Nelson is one of the most celebrated guards in the NFL, securing six consecutive Pro Bowl nominations since joining the league in 2018. Haliburton revealed recently that he has been watching film of Nelson for the Colts to help motivate him in the postseason.
Game one of the Knicks-Pacers series kicks off on Monday evening at Madison Square Garden, where tickets are changing hands for well over $300.
The Knicks have enjoyed an upturn in performances in recent years, making it to the Eastern Conference semi-finals for a second consecutive season. They have been inspired by the explosive performances of point guard Jalen Brunson, who has now scored at least 37 points in each of his last four games. This series could come down to a shoot-out between Brunson and Haliburton, two of the most talented point guards in the East.