Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton left the third quarter of Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks with a knee injury and did not return. Without their best player, the Pacers ended up losing to the Knicks by a final score of 119-113. Point guard Jalen Brunson led the way for New York as he scored 34 points, dished out four assists, and grabbed three rebounds.
On top of losing a tight game, a disappointing injury update indicates that it's not just Haliburton's knee that's injured. He's also dealing with a left elbow injury and will be evaluated on Thursday, per a tweet from Fieldhouse Files' Scott Agness.
Haliburton, 22, has established himself as an elite point guard in his third year in the pros. He's averaging 20.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks across 40 appearances this season. Haliburton entered the league with a reputation as an elite playmaker, and he's more than lived up to the hype thus far. His 10.2 assist average is the highest in the entire NBA among all qualified players, and his assist/turnover ratio of 3.92 is currently the ninth-highest.
If Haliburton has to miss a prolonged period of time due to his injuries, expect the Pacers to hand rookie Andrew Nembhard some extra minutes and playmaking responsibility. The former Gonzaga standout is third in rookies behind only Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey in assists per game at 3.7 and is also scoring the ball very efficiently. Nembhard is converting 47.3% of his total field goal attempts and, just as impressively, 39.8% of his threes this season.
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