The Indiana Pacers came out the victor of their Monday night game against the Boston Celtics, ekeing out a 133-131 win in the end that came with its fair share of controversy. However, the Pacers will be reeling from the fact that they lost Tyrese Haliburton to a leg injury that looked serious, as he had to be carried towards the locker room by his teammates.

Haliburton is the Pacers' talisman, as he enables the team to play at a fast pace and score at a historic rate, thanks to his elite ability to push the basketball, dish the rock, and take care of the ball. Any prolonged absence from him would make it difficult for Indiana to maintain its place in the congested Eastern Conference playoff picture. But it seems like Haliburton is in good spirits, if Buddy Hield's words are any indication.

Speaking with Pat Boylan of Bally Sports Indiana, Hield revealed how positive Tyrese Haliburton's demeanor was at halftime even though he sustained what looked like a serious injury.

“It's sad to see him go down. He's my brother. We love him a lot. Come halftime he was just positive, giving guys energy. He has his towel over his head but like we all feel like we responded the right way. We tried to get this one for him, we'll see how long he's gonna be out, we'll continue building,” Hield said.

The Pacers also lost Tyrese Haliburton to a serious injury that kept him out for 10 games around this time last year, so they know how it's like to hold the fort in his absence. Alas, Indiana went 1-9 last season amid Haliburton's injury recovery, which essentially killed all their playoff hopes. An inspired performance from the rest of the team is necessary for them to avoid making the same mistakes.

The severity of Haliburton's injury remains up in the air. But now, Indiana will have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst as they approach another month of January with the dark cloud of a potential extended absence from the team's best player looming above everyone's heads.