Currently 27-21 on the season, the Indiana Pacers will face one of their toughest challenges on Thursday night when they travel to Madison Square Garden and take on the surging New York Knicks. Two teams that find themselves near the top of the NBA Power Rankings, the Pacers and Knicks each have high playoff aspirations. The Pacers find themselves as the top-rated offensive team in the league this season due to the contributions of All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. However, the young star's status for this game is suddenly in question despite returning from a five-game hiatus in the Pacers' most recent game. This has led many to ask the question, Is Tyrese Haliburton playing vs. the Knicks on Thursday night?
Tyrese Haliburton's injury status vs. Knicks
As of Thursday afternoon, Haliburton still finds himself listed as questionable to play with what the team is calling a “left hamstring strain injury management.”
Originally, Haliburton suffered this injury on January 8 against the Boston Celtics. It is worth noting that the 23-year-old missed five games with his hamstring injury before returning to the court against the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 19. The Pacers then held him out for five more games before he recently played against the Celtics on Tuesday. Unfortunately, he was forced to leave this game early in the fourth quarter because of his recent injury concerns.
Cautiously working their star back into the fold, Haliburton's status against the Knicks on Thursday night could come down to the wire. Indiana is set to return home and play the Sacramento Kings on Friday, so it wouldn't come as a shock if Haliburton was ruled out against New York.
In the event that he is unable to play, the Pacers will turn to veteran guard T.J. McConnell and second-year guard Andrew Nembhard to do the heavy lifting in the backcourt. McConnell has averaged 11.0 points, 7.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in the 12 games Haliburton has missed this year. Pascal Siakam also figures to see his ball-handling and facilitating duties increase should the Pacers All-Star be ruled out.
The Knicks, who are led by soon-to-be All-Star Jalen Brunson, will be without one of their key contributors in this game. Two-time All-Star Julius Randle recently suffered a dislocated right shoulder, and no timeframe has been given on his road to recovery. OG Anunoby, who has missed the team's last two games, is once again questionable for New York with a right elbow injury.
So, when it comes to the question of whether Tyrese Haliburton is playing vs. the Knicks, the answer has yet to be determined.
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