The Indiana Pacers were in good form, having won three out of four games before they suffered an upset against the Charlotte Hornets. However, fans will hope that Rick Carlisle’s boys can redeem themselves in their last clash before the All-Star break against the Toronto Raptors. Even though the Canadian team has been struggling to win games, the Pacers would hope that Tyrese Haliburton can suit up for tonight’s contest.
Advertisement
The Indiana Pacers have submitted a long list of players in their recent injury report. While four players have been assigned a “questionable” status for their G-League engagements, Jalen Smith and James Johnson have been ruled out. Alongside Bennedict Mathurin, Tyrese Haliburton has been listed as “questionable” for tonight’s game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Earlier in January, Haliburton injured his hamstring during a contest against the Boston Celtics. The Grade 1 left hamstring strain was serious enough to keep him sidelined for a few weeks. While the injury hasn’t reaggravated, the team has only added the 23-year-old to the report for injury management.
The 23-year-old has been playing limited minutes for the Pacers in the last few games. In the loss against the Hornets, Haliburton had 13 points and 12 assists in 34 minutes. Even though the two-time All-Star’s presence on the court is essential for the Indiana side, they should look to prioritize his recovery before the business end of the season.
Tyrese Haliburton can only miss 4 more games to be eligible for the season accolades
Tyrese Haliburton is having a breakout campaign. Apart from recording career highs in points (21.9), Hali has been leading the league with 11.7 assists dished out per game. He’s already been rewarded for his spectacular performance by being named as an All-Star starter. However, his All-NBA team selection seems to be hanging by a thread.
According to the NBA’s Player Participation Policy, players are supposed to play at least 65 games to become eligible for the season-end accolades. 55 games into the campaign, the Pacers’ leader has already missed out on 13 games. To be eligible for his first-ever All-NBA Team selection, the pass-first guard can only miss 4 more games out of the remaining 27.
Despite not being fully fit, Haliburton has been playing to save his eligibility. In the last 8 games, he has averaged only 25.6 minutes per game, having played 22 minutes or less in four of those contests.
