Pacers HC: Tyrese Haliburton Back Injury a 'Concern'; Expected to Play G2 vs. Knicks

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is expecting Tyrese Haliburton to suit up for Game 2 of the team's playoff series with the New York Knicks but acknowledged the health of the star guard is a "concern."

"At this time of year everybody's got something going and he's working at it, doing everything he can to keep himself feeling as good as possible," Carlisle told reporters. "I'm confident he'll play, but it's a concern."

Haliburton is officially listed as questionable for Game 2 due to his lingering back trouble.

In general, the two-time All-Star hasn't been the same since coming back from the hamstring strain that sidelined him for three weeks in January. He averaged 23.6 points on 49.7 percent shooting before going down and then saw his scoring average dip to 16.8 points in the 35 games after his return to the court.

Now, fans are wondering how much it's happening again with his recurrent back spasms.

Haliburton dropped a triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists) in a Game 3 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

In the four games since then, he has averaged 15.8 points and 7.0 assists. The 6'5" playmaker was particularly passive in the 121-117 loss to the Knicks, attempting just six shots in his 36 minutes on the floor.

The Knicks have injury concerns of their own. Head coach Tom Thibodeau basically utilized a seven-man rotation in Game 1 since Precious Achiuwa only saw four minutes of action. Four of New York's five starters played 42 minutes or more.

Still, Haliburton is such a huge fulcrum for what Indiana does offensively. The Pacers need more from him than he delivered on Monday night, yet there might only be so much he can do.