The Indiana Pacers on Monday overcame a scary injury to star point guard Tyrese Haliburton before beating the in-form Boston Celtics 133-131.
Haliburton, one of the brightest stars in the NBA, was carried off the court by teammates after a painful tumble near the end of the second quarter at Indiana’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena.
The 23-year-old grimaced after inadvertently doing the splits as he attempted to change direction while driving toward the basket.
Photo: AFP
The Pacers later said that Haliburton, who did not return to the game, had sustained a left hamstring strain.
With Haliburton out of action, Bennedict Mathurin stepped up with 26 points off the bench to lead the second-half fightback after Indiana trailed 68-59 at the break.
A frantic finale looked to have tilted Boston’s way after the Pacers were adjudged to have fouled Jaylen Brown in the closing seconds with the score locked at 131-131, but Indiana challenged the call and the foul was overturned to leave the score level and give the Pacers one last chance to snatch the win.
Photo: AP
Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis then fouled Mathurin with 1 second on the clock and the Pacers shooting guard promptly sank two free throws to secure the victory.
“We lost the best player on the team, so my role was to step up and help the team win the game,” Mathurin said afterward. “Ty [Haliburton] was down, but it felt like the team pretty much knew what to do. Everyone had to step up. If your name gets called, be ready to play.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle hailed his team’s response to Haliburton’s injury, adding that the star was to have an MRI scan.
Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA Today
“Really amazing effort from our team,” Carlisle said. “Lot of emotions in this game. We hope it isn’t serious. He’s getting an MRI tomorrow [yesterday].”
Meanwhile, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is to miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury he sustained just weeks after his return from a 25-game suspension, his team said.
The Grizzlies said in a statement that the 24-year-old point guard sustained an injury to his right shoulder during training on Saturday.
Photo: AFP
“Following ongoing soreness and instability, Morant underwent an MRI that revealed an underlying labral tear,” the Grizzlies said. “Morant will undergo season-ending surgery and is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024-2025 season.”
Elsewhere on Monday, it was:
‧ Bucks 116, Jazz 132
‧ Clippers 138, Suns 111
‧ Heat 120, Rockets 113
‧ Hornets 112, Bulls 119
‧ Wizards 128, Thunder 136
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