Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton officially questionable for Game 3 Saturday night - NBC Sports

May 23, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts against the Boston Celtics in the first half during game two of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

With the Pacers down 0-2 to the Celtics, their All-Star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, is officially questionable for Game 3 on Saturday, the team announced.

Injury Report for tomorrow's game against Boston:Tyrese Haliburton - Questionable (left hamstring soreness)Bennedict Mathurin - Out (right shoulder labral tear) pic.twitter.com/KDtPhfvX11

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 24, 2024

Haliburton checked himself out of Game 2 with 3:44 left in the third quarter and did not return with what coach Rick Carlisle later confirmed was a re-aggravation of his left hamstring injury. That hamstring strain — which happened originally against Boston on Jan. 8 — caused him to miss 10 games, and he was never the same player after his return.

“He was sore at halftime,” Carlisle said after Game 2. “He was getting work done for the entirety of halftime. He came out, gave it a shot and all the effort that he could. I haven’t talked about it directly to him, so I can’t read minds, but it wasn’t going well. The trainers determined he had to be brought to the back to be worked on, and then he was ruled out.”

Here’s how important Haliburton is to the Pacers: In Game 2, Indiana was +1 in the almost 28 minutes he was on the court, and they were -17 in the remaining 20 minutes.

Even if Haliburton plays in Game 3 but is slowed further and is a shadow of himself, the Pacers’ chances against the Celtics become slim. Indiana’s up-tempo, free-flowing offense is built around Haliburton and his game, specifically his passing and play in transition. While his backup, T.J. McConnell, is about as good a backup one as there is in the league, the drop-off for Indiana is still steep.

The Pacers will most likely wait to announce Haliburton’s status until close to game time on Saturday.