The Pacers may have to crawl out of a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference Finals without their All-NBA guard.
In Boston’s 126-110 win over Indiana on Thursday night, Tyrese Haliburton scored 10 points and delivered eight assists before leaving the floor with left hamstring soreness. A similar injury forced Haliburton to miss 10 regular-season games, raising questions about his availability for the rest of the playoff series.
“He was sore at halftime. He was getting worked on for the entirety of halftime. He came out, gave it a shot and all the effort that he could,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters during his postgame press conference. “I haven’t talked to him about it directly, so I can’t read minds. But it wasn’t going well. The trainers determined that he had to be brought to the back to be worked on, and then he was ruled out.”
Regardless of whether Haliburton is able to suit up, Indiana will need a much better defensive effort in Game 3. Boston shot 53.4 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from 3-point range, and Jaylen Brown exploded for 40 points, tying his playoff career-high. “The game is just slowing down for him more and more,” Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said when asked about Brown’s postseason play. “[He is] finding ways to be effective still while making the right play, just being himself.”
Can Indiana recover from a couple of tough losses and rediscover the winning formula at home? Or will Boston keep rolling and take a commanding 3-0 lead?
Here is everything you need to know about Celtics vs. Pacers, including how to watch Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
