On Monday night, the Indiana Pacers welcomed the Boston Celtics into the Gainbridge Fieldhouse as they looked to continue their climb through the Eastern Conference standings.
The first quarter saw the Celtics come out on top, 34-33, as Jaylen Brown shot the lights out, scoring 12 points, while Payton Pritchard provided a six point charge off the bench.
This lead comes despite a playmaking masterclass from Tyrese Haliburton, who managed to dish out five assists, along with five points, across the nearly ten minutes he spent on the court.
With Rick Carlisle deciding to rest Haliburton for the first half of the second quarter, he subbed him back in following a scuffle between Luke Kornet and Isiah Jackson, ending with the Celtics being rewarded a technical free throw.
Yet, the 23-year-old’s return to the court would be short lived, as he appeared to slip while driving to the basket, falling to the ground immediately, having to be helped off the ground and carried into the locker room.
Shortly afterwards, the Pacers announced that Haliburton would not return to the match due to a left hamstring strain, meaning they’d have to go one without their leading scorer.
This wasn’t an issue as Indiana’s bench managed to erupt for 34 points, headlined by Bennedict Mathurin’s 26 point-outing, which would help suppress the 40-point performance from Brown.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, following an MRI that was conducted on Tuesday morning, Haliburton will be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks, as he suffered a Grade 1 strain in his left hamstring.
When do the Sixers play the Pacers?
Due to the two sides being placed in the same In-Season Tournament group, two of the three matches have already taken place, however their final match is just around the corner.
The Sixers will take on the Pacers for the final time on January 25, as Philadelphia will look to bounce back off of 126-132 loss they suffered back in November, when Haliburton put up 33 points, along with 15 assists.
The potential absence of Haliburton would help the Sixers’ hopes against the Pacers, as the 23-year-old has had their number this season, averaging 29 points and 16 assists against them.
