• NBA All-Star 2024: Vote here
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain, the team announced Tuesday. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Haliburton is expected to be out for at least the next two weeks.
What happened: Haliburton suffered his injury in the second quarter of Monday’s 133-131 win against the Boston Celtics when he slipped and appeared to do the splits on a drive to the basket. He was carried to the locker room by two teammates.
Haliburton’s impact: An All-Star last season, Haliburton is enjoying a career-best season as he leads the NBA in assists per game (12.5) and is averaging 23.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 49.7% overall and 40.3% on 3-pointers.
Veteran T.J. McConnell is Haliburton’s top backup and filled in admirably in the win against Boston, posting 12 points and seven assists in 24 minutes. McConnell and second-year guard Andrew Nembhard rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in total assists for Indiana and will both be looked to as a stopgap while Haliburton mends.
Indiana has an upcoming six-game road trip that begins on Jan. 12 and ends on Jan. 21. After that, they play five straight home games, which could time nicely with Haliburton’s potential return.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.