The Indiana Pacers carved out a 132-129 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Led by Pascal Siakam, the Pacers increase their momentum as they win their second game in a row. Still, one of the lingering storylines surrounding the team revolves around Tyrese Haliburton's injury. Missing 10 games in January due to a hamstring strain, Haliburton has been on a minutes restriction as of late.
Prior to Tuesday's outing, the two-time All-Star has been playing around 20-22 minutes per game. In the win against the Rockets, however, Haliburton's minutes were upped to 29. He finished the night with 18 points on 8-of-15 field goal attempts while adding seven assists. While his continuous presence on the floor is a positive sign for the Pacers, Haliburton hasn't quite returned to his old form just yet.
Following the game, Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle commented on the 23-year-old's showing.
“Ty (Tyrese) is not there yet, but he’s getting much closer,” Carlisle said, per the Athletic's James Boyd.
Carlisle also mentioned how Haliburton's Tuesday-night performance shows signs pointing to the right direction.
“He's moving better for sure. Physically, he's doing much better. It's a lot of good signs right now,” he added, via Sports Illustrated's Tony East.
Haliburton's injury slows down his All-Star season
Haliburton was recently named as a starter for this year's All-Star Game. Fittingly, the weekend festivities will be taking place in none other than Indianapolis. This season, the Pacers star is averaging 22.5 points, 11.7 assists and 4.3 assists per game.
His numbers have experienced a drop due to his recent hamstring troubles. Before getting injured, Haliburton was tallying 24.2 points, 12.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds a contest.
At the moment, the Pacers are sixth in the East with a 29-23 record. Still, with Tyrese Haliburton slowly getting his groove back, it won't be surprising if Indiana climbs up the ranks anytime soon.
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