By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The surging Indiana Pacers might have just received a major blow.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton exited Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks after an ugly fall on a layup attempt during the third quarter. Slicing across the paint, Haliburton made contact with Knicks guard Quentin Grimes in mid-air, initially landed on his right foot, then fell hard to his left.
After the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters that Haliburton would leave Madison Square Garden walking on crutches due to a sore left knee, plus a sore left elbow. Haliburton will reportedly undergo more testing on Thursday, with the Pacers hoping for a short-term issue.
On Thursday, the team announced Haliburton will be re-evaluated in two weeks after spraining his left eblow and sustaining a mild left knee bone contusion. The team is awaiting additional opinions on those tests.
Losing Haliburton will be tough for the Pacers, who have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams in recent weeks. They had won six of their last seven games before Wednesday, including wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers, and currently hold a record of 23-19, good for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
Haliburton entered Wednesday averaging a career-high 20.3 points and 10.3 assists per game, with the latter mark leading the NBA. Acquired last season in the Domantas Sabonis blockbuster, Haliburton has become a centerpiece for the Pacers’ youth movement and is in line for a max extension next summer.