INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton had to be carried off the floor in Monday night’s game against the Celtics when he slipped while trying to drive the lane.
With the Pacers down 60-54 with 3:10 to go in the second quarter, Haliburton drove the left side of the lane and his right leg slipped forward while his left leg stayed back. He essentially did a split. He managed to stand up, but then seemed hobbled. Pacers veteran James Johnson and teammate Buddy Hield stepped in to carry him off the floor and other teammates draped a towel around his head to hide his reaction.
At halftime, the Pacers announced Haliburton was suffering from a left hamstring strain and would not return to the game. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported after the game he would undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers to a 133-131 victory, scoring 26 points, including the winning free throws with 1 second left.
‘We lost the best player on the team, so it’s my job to step up,’ Mathurin said postgame.
Haliburton entered Monday’s game leading the Pacers with 24.2 points per game and leading the NBA with 12.7 assists per game. In the NBA’s first release of the fan vote for the All-Star Game to be held in Indianapolis in February, Haliburton was leading all Eastern Conference guards. Haliburton had seven points on 3 of 5 shooting and six assists before the injury.