Pacers’ Rick Carlisle Updates Tyrese Haliburton Injury Status vs Cavaliers

Indiana plays Cleveland again on Tuesday night.
Dec 30, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA: Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle talks with guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) in the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Dec 30, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA: Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle talks with guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) in the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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The Indiana Pacers have quietly been on a mini-tear of late.

Indiana has gone 12-3 across its last 15 contests, and has won its last six games. Perhaps most impressive was the Pacers' 108-93 blowout victory Sunday over the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers, who dropped just their fifth game of the year in the loss.

Suddenly, the 2024-25 Pacers are looking a lot like the 47-35 model in 2023-24, which played spoiler to both the Milwaukee Bucks' and New York Knicks' title hopes during the playoffs, en route to a surprise Eastern Conference Finals appearance as a No. 6 seed. Indiana is 22-18 on the year and now the No. 5 seed in the East.

On Tuesday, the Pacers will look to prove that their Sunday win over the conference's top seed was no fluke, as they're set for a rematch with Cleveland, which they will host at Gainbridge Fieldhouse starting at 7 p.m. ET.

With Tyrese Haliburton limited to just 18:30 of action because he incurred a left hamstring injury midgame, Indiana ended the Cavaliers' league-best win streak at 12 contests.

Per Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indiana, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is skeptical Haliburton will be able to play through that ailment on Tuesday.

"It's possible [he plays tonight], but very unlikely," Carlisle said, per Bowen. "The good news is [I] don't believe it's serious."

More Pacers: Pascal Siakam is Attempting to be 'Threat' on Multiple Levels

Before Haliburton went down, he was looking like his prime All-NBA self in the eventual victory over the East's best squad, by record.

The two-time All-Star finished with just two points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field, five assists, one rebound, a steal and a block during his limited game time.

More Pacers: Indiana Sees Championship Odds Worsen Despite December Turnaround

Indiana used a balanced attack beyond Haliburton to defeat Cleveland on Sunday. Six players scored in double figures, led by Andrew Nembhard's 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe. Myles Turner notched a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double, while two-time All-NBA power forward Pascal Siakam made his case yet again for being named to more All-Star and All-NBA teams this year, with an 18-point, nine-rebound game in which he submitted some top-tier defense.

Defense was the name of the game for Indiana on Sunday, in a twist. The Pacers were the first team all year to limit the starry Cavaliers to scoring fewer than 100 points.

If Haliburton is unavailable, it's likely that Carlisle will start his backup, T.J. McConnell.

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For all the latest Indiana Pacers news and notes, stay glued to Pacers On SI.


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Alex Kirschenbaum
ALEX KIRSCHENBAUM

Basketball is Alex's favorite sport, he likes the way they dribble up and down the court.