Tyrese Haliburton speaks on Pacers’ confusing injury management after Knicks loss

After coming back too early and having to miss more time, Tyrese Haliburton is finally back out on the court for the Indiana Pacers, having played in their last two games against the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

Unfortunately, the Pacers have dropped both games despite being in solid positions in each one. They came all the way back against the Celtics but couldn’t finish the job, and against the Knicks, they had control late but lost to a surge by Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo.

They were two tough games against two very good teams, but the part of each game that caught most people’s eyes was the way the Pacers managed Haliburton.

Since his return, Haliburton has been on a minutes restriction, but rather than saving his minutes until late in the game, they’ve been running with him early and then not playing him in the fourth quarter.

Based on how things ended in New York, it’s pretty safe to say that strategy burned them a bit, as the Pacers weren’t able to close things out when it mattered most.

After the game, Haliburton was asked about this injury management strategy, but he said that he trusts the Pacers’ staff and the plan they have for him. (H/t Dustin Dpoirak of the Indianapolis Star)

"I think that rationale has probably been come to by our medical staff," Haliburton said. "I trust their decision. Obviously, I want to compete at all times. I gotta do what I gotta do to stay on the floor and be able to play in games consistently. This is three games and four nights. I want to play tomorrow, and if I can show I can do that, those start to go up. So I trust their decision-making."

Haliburton only played 21:53, 15:43 of which was in the first half (and none of which was in the fourth quarter). He finished the game with 15 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two blocks while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 2-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. He was a team-high +5 on the night.

Obviously, as he noted, Haliburton wants to play as much as possible, and based on how things have gone with him on the bench, the Pacers need him to get healthy as soon as possible.