Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton left Monday night's 133-131 win over the visiting Boston Celtics in the second quarter due to a left hamstring strain and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, according to head coach Rick Carlisle.
Haliburton was driving to the hoop when he stopped on a dime and slipped, causing him to do the splits. He immediately grabbed at his left thigh and rolled over in pain before teammates had to carry him back to the locker room with 3:10 left in the first half.
At halftime, Indiana ruled Haliburton out for the rest of the game. He had seven points and six assists in 13 minutes of action prior to exiting.
Carlisle called the injury "a very deflating moment," adding that the team hopes it's not serious.
Entering Monday, Haliburton was averaging a team-high 24.2 points and a league-high 12.7 assists across 32 games (all starts). He is in his third season with Indiana after being acquired from the Sacramento Kings in a February 2022 trade.
Haliburton has been a key contributor for the Pacers, helping them to the finals of the inaugural NBA in-season tournament. The Pacers are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
The Pacers trailed 68-59 at the break on Monday shortly after Haliburton left the game but stormed back in the third quarter. Bennedict Mathurin was fouled while attempting a 3-point shot with less than a second remaining and the game tied. He went 2-of-3 from the line to seal the win for Indiana.
"Really amazing effort from our team," Carlisle said. "A lot of emotions in this game, for a lot of reasons: you're playing the best team in basketball and Tyrese's injury situation."
Information from Field Level Media and The Associated Press was used in this story.