Tyrese Haliburton says he plans to play on Tuesday vs Boston Celtics

Haliburton practiced on Monday

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton plans to make his return tomorrow from a short absence due to a hamstring injury, he said on Monday.

"Plan is to play tomorrow for me," Haliburton said after his team wrapped up a lighter practice. He scrimmaged with a few teammates beforehand. "See how I feel in the morning when I wake up. [If] I feel good, I'm ready to go."

Haliburton has missed the Pacers previous five games, and 10 of their last 11. He hit the floor and did the splits when Indiana hosted the Boston Celtics back on January 8, and he was diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain soon after.

The thinking at the time was that Haliburton would miss Indiana's entire recent road trip and be re-evaluated afterwards. But the point guard shared during the road trip that he was progressing faster than anticipated and could return sooner. 

He played in Portland against the Trail Blazers on January 19, scoring 21 points and dishing out 17 assists in a loss. But he was clearly in pain at times throughout the game, and he sat out the very next outing for Indiana.

"Throughout the game, there was some soreness," Haliburton said of that outing in Portland. "To my knowledge, I couldn't make it worse by playing." Because of that, he kept going and finished out the game. But his hamstring didn't react well, so Haliburton went back to square one, as he described it, in his rehab.

Head coach Rick Carlisle revealed earlier this week that the star guard would miss at least Indiana's next three home games, and that turned into four. But he could be back tomorrow for the Pacers against Boston.

"If all goes well and he feels good tomorrow, then tomorrow's in the picture," Carlisle said at practice Monday.

The Pacers are 20-14 with Haliburton and 7-6 without him this season. He is vital to their success, and  if all goes well, he could play for just the second time ever with newcomer Pascal Siakam on Tuesday. It's a big opportunity for the Pacers with the game being played on TNT, and Haliburton will look to make the most of it.

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