The Indiana Pacers suffered a terrible setback when NBA All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a hamstring injury in early January when playing against the Boston Celtics. While driving to the basket, he slipped and did a split, resulting in a Grade 1 strain on his left hamstring.
Indiana went 3-2 in five games without him, as he returned to the lineup against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 19th. He played well, scoring 21 points with 17 assists in a three-point loss, but the training staff didn’t like what they saw from him.
As a result, Haliburton was held out of a few more games. He has missed five more games and the team has gone 3-2 again, this time with the newly acquired Pascal Siakam in the lineup. Indiana acquired Siakam from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for three first-round picks, Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora.
The combination of Haliburton and Siakam is one that many people are excited to see. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen much of it as he continues working through his hamstring injury. But, that wait could be coming to an end.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Tyrese Haliburton & Indiana Pacers Updates
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, there is optimism that Haliburton will be back in the lineup for the Pacers’ next game on Tuesday night. Coincidentally enough, it will be against the Celtics, the team he was facing when the injury first occurred.
The Pacers were able to stay afloat without their All-Star game starter in the lineup, going 6-4 in the 10 games he missed. They are 27-20 on the season and currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games ahead of the Miami Heat for the final spot outside of the NBA Play-In Tournament.
On the season, Haliburton is averaging 23.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 12.6 assists per game. The assists are currently leading the NBA, as Haliburton has been one of the most efficient players in the league this season.
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