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Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton out at Least 2 Weeks with Elbow, Knee Injuries
January 12, 2023
The Indiana Pacers will be without their star player for the immediate future.
Indiana announced guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a left elbow sprain and a left knee bone contusion during Wednesday's loss to the New York Knicks. Haliburton will be reevaluated in two weeks after undergoing an MRI on Thursday.
Losing Haliburton is a significant blow for the Eastern Conference team.
He is averaging 20.2 points, 10.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from deep in 40 games this season. The 22-year-old is the face of the franchise at this point after Indiana acquired him from the Sacramento Kings via trade last season.
Haliburton appeared to be making a potential All-Star push as well with his ability to impact the game in a number of ways.
His presence is a major reason the Pacers have surprised this season with a 23-19 record, which is good enough for a tie with the Knicks for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Whether they can maintain their position as they battle for the playoffs or play-in tournament could come down to how they navigate their schedule while Haliburton is sidelined.
Buddy Hield and Bennedict Mathurin will be immediately tasked with more offensive responsibilities in the backcourt.
Whether it is the pair handling the ball more, shooting from the outside, attacking the rim or distributing as facilitators, Indiana's backcourt offense will primarily run through them.
Andrew Nembhard will also see more of those responsibilities, and T.J. McConnell and Chris Duarte are in line for more playing time while the go-to option is sidelined. It will ultimately take a group effort, though, if Indiana is going to survive Haliburton's injury and remain in the playoff picture.