Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss Game 4 against the Boston Celtics on Monday night due to a hamstring strain.
Head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed his status to reporters pregame.
He will miss a second straight game after the injury sidelined him in Saturday’s Game 3. With Haliburton on the bench, the Celtics rallied from an 18-point deficit to extend their lead in the Eastern Conference finals to 3-0. They can close out the series and clinch a spot in the NBA Finals with a win on Monday.
Haliburton’s absence will make an unprecedented task for the Pacers much more difficult. No team in NBA history has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. The Pacers will look to mount a rally with their best player on the bench.
Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, was named All-NBA for the first time this season at the age of 23. He is the catalyst for the league’s highest-scoring offense, averaging 20.1 points, a career-high 10.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game this season.
The Celtics thrived in the first half of Game 3, opening a 69-57 halftime lead. Andrew Nemhard took the lead role in Indiana’s backcourt in Haliburton’s absence, putting together one of the best games of his career with 32 points and nine assists while shooting 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
But Indiana’s offense came in after halftime, putting up 42 points in the second half as the Celtics took control of the game. Indiana will need a better full-game performance on Monday night to avoid being swept.
