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Saturday update: Haliburton is in for the Pacers, though he might have a minutes limit to avoid aggravating his ankle injury.
Saturday update: Haliburton is officially questionable for the contest against the Magic, but the Pacers might be inclined to hold him out on the second game of a back-to-back set.
Update: It’s officially an ankle injury for Haliburton. The point guard said he felt fine after the game, so we’ll see if he plays Saturday against the Magic.
Lloyd Pierce says the Pacers don't know about Tyrese Haliburton's ankle yet. Said Haliburton said he's fine, but they all say that.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) November 19, 2022
The Indiana Pacers saw star point guard Tyrese Haliburton go to the locker room late in Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets. The injury is unknown at this time.
Haliburton went down and it didn't look good.
— James Howell Jr. WRTV (@ByJamesHowellJr) November 19, 2022
The Pacers are going to win this game, so there is no immediate issue for Indiana. However, Haliburton’s health will be key for this team to evaluate him as a potential franchise player. The point guard was the prized return in the Domantas Sabonis trade and has been living up to his billing, averaging 20.6 points, 10.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. He had 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds prior to exiting Friday’s contest.
If Haliburton misses extended time, it would likely lead to more playing time for Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Mathurin is primarily in an off-ball role, but the Pacers wouldn’t mind seeing if he can be a playmaker. Indiana has no aspirations of winning anything big, so this season is mainly about evaluation.