Indianapolis, IN
Tyrese Haliburton suffers multiple injuries in Game 3 but hopeful he’ll play Game 4
Haliburton rolls ankle vs. Knicks, ‘I’m hurting’
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton discusses his injured ankle after their 111-106 win over the New York Knicks.
IndyStar
INDIANAPOLIS — The wear and tear of this series and of Game 3 in particular were evident on Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton as he limped up and down stairs using the rails to steady himself on his way on to and off of the podium for his postgame press conference.
Haliburton said he picked up multiple injuries in Friday’s 111-106 win over the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. He already was dealing with lower back spasms. He injured multiple body parts on fourth-quarter drives.
With 9:25 to go, he came down hard on his tailbone after driving for a floater when Knicks guard Miles McBride got underneath him and Haliburton turned, essentially, upside down in the air. Then with 7:42 to go he got a steal and turned his ankle when trying to avoid the Knicks Josh Hart before finishing a layup.
“My just overall body right now,” Haliburton said. “I’m hurtin’. But they got guys hurting too. We gotta understand that everybody’s hurting right now. Thank God we got a day in between. I’m young and I’ll heal up and be ready on Sunday.”
The injuries will likely put Haliburton on the injury report for Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. Game 4. However, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle also said he’s hopeful Haliburton will be available. Haliburton scored 35 points in the game but didn’t score at all after the ankle injury, missing his last three shots over the game’s final seven minutes.
“He got banged up tonight,” Carlisle said. “The hope is he’s going to be OK for Sunday. I think it’s going to be hard to keep him out of the game.”