BOSTON — In a postseason that’s been defined by injuries to star players, the Pacers lost a key piece in their Game 2 loss to the Celtics on Thursday at TD Garden.
Tyrese Haliburton left the game in the third quarter and didn’t return with left leg soreness.
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Pacers coach Rick Carlisle confirmed it was an injury to Haliburton’s left hamstring, which has hampered him in the past.
“Losing Ty for the game was a big blow,” Carlisle said. “We’ll see. We’ll know more tomorrow and probably even more on Saturday. I know you want details. I don’t have much. It’s sore. … He was unable to return.”
Haliburton finished with 10 points and eight assists in 27:57.
His loss left the Pacers without one of their best players. Haliburton had 25 points and 10 assists in Game 1 against the Celtics and came in averaging 19.3 points and 8.2 assists per game in 14 postseason appearances after leading the league with 10.9 assists during the regular season.
Haliburton actually spent much of halftime dealing with a chest injury following a collision with Jaylen Brown, but responded well enough to return for the third quarter.
“He got a rebound and Jaylen Brown looked like he almost went through him to get the ball,” Carlisle said. “Tyrese came back here and had a couple tests done and fortunately returned pretty quickly.”
Haliburton had two points in 8:16 in the third before departing.
“He came out in the second half and gave it a shot,” Carlisle said. “We hope it’s a short-term aggravation.”
