The Indiana Pacers came out flat in Madison Square Garden in their most recent revenge game, after Tyrese Haliburton earned ridiculous comments from Knicks broadcast team. To the point where they were quickly down by nearly 20 and were down by 25 as late as the third quarter.
However, it appears that Rick Carlisle may have had an inspiring half-time speech for the crew, as they battled back to the get lead as close as three. Ultimately, however, they were unable to cross the finish line on the comeback and ended up falling to the surging New York Knicks.
Yet, that seems to pale in comparison to the bigger issue: Tyrese Haliburton left the game in the third quarter with an apparent limp after his foot was stepped on and he tumbled to the floor. Haliburton was immediately taken back to the locker room for assessment.
After the game, Rick Carlisle was asked about the injury and this is what he had to say:
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Myles Turner had back spasms before the game. Carlisle said jokingly, “He’s not been traded, as I guess Twitter is saying. Believe me, I have no interest in trading Myles Turner.” 😂
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 12, 2023
Carlisle added Tyrese Haliburton left the arena on crutches too. pic.twitter.com/RxizFytJaN
However, additional details have yet to emerge and it is unclear at the moment what the injury actually is and how serious/long-term it could be. Given how well Haliburton is playing, it would be a shame for him to miss significant time given the magical season the Pacers have had to date.
Even though the Pacers were not able to finish off the win, the resiliency that this team showed in battling back from 25 down was admirable. Had they not been so shorthanded, it is likely they could have finished off the comeback and fans should be encouraged by the performance.
Other notes from the game:
- Buddy Hield had himself a night, scoring 31 points in 32 minutes to go along with 8 boards. Hield has been extremely hot as of late, and if Tyrese is out for any length of time, will be needed for the Pacers to remain competitive.
- Myles Turner was ruled out of the game prior to the start with back spasms. There was speculation that this could be trade related, but coach Rick Carlisle tried to calm fans’ nerves that it was truly a case of an injury cropping up at the last minute.
- Bennedict Mathurin had a solid night, having another 20 point game as a rookie. This followed the weakest performance of the season for Mathurin who only scored 4 points in the previous game against the Hornets.
The Pacers return to action against the Hawks and Grizzlies.