Pacers injury report: Rick Carlisle responds to Tyrese Haliburton hamstring questions

The Indiana Pacers went down 126-110 against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Pacers were outplayed by a physically dominant Celtics team and also suffered a worrying injury to star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. The 24-year-old was taken off midway through the third quarter and was not able to return. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was asked about Haliburton’s injury in the post-match press conference.

“We bounced back decently to get [the deficit] to six at half time but the third was tough. And losing Ty [Haliburton] for the game is obviously a big blow,” he told reporters.

When asked on Haliburton’s fitness for the remainder of the series, Carlisle replied: “Left hamstring. We’ll probably know more tomorrow, and then even more Saturday.”

“He was sore at halftime. He was getting worked on the entire halftime. He came out, gave it a shot and was giving all the effort he could. I haven’t talked to him directly and I can’t read minds, but it wasn’t going well.”

A left hamstring injury kept Haliburton on the sidelines for 10 games back in January and the issue has lingered during an impressive individual campaign. Haliburton joins Bennedict Mathurin (right shoulder surgery) on the Pacers’ short injury list.

What did Rick Carlisle say about the Pacers’ performance?

The Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night for the first of two home games, looking to turn around a 2-0 deficit in this best-of-seven Conference Finals series.

Speaking after the Game the Pacers head coach was critical of his team’s effectiveness on the rebound. Early in the second quarter a trio of offensive rebounds for the Celtics formed part of a 20-0 scoring streak that put the hosts out of sight on the night.

“These guys spread you out a little differently than New York does and they have great athletes, so they beat us to some balls. And we’ve gotta flip that on Saturday night,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to try to make it as difficult for them as possible. To be physical, persistent and to play our game.”

The Pacers failed to score for six-and-a-half minutes during the second quarter, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the second half. They have already shown real determination this season, recently coming back from a 2-0 deficit against the New York Knicks, but their forward line faces a major challenge as they look to turn the series against one of the best defences in the league.