THE INDIANA PACERS overcame a scary injury to star point guard Tyrese Haliburton before beating the in-form Boston Celtics 133-131 on Monday in the NBA.
Haliburton, one of the brightest stars in the league, was carried off the court by teammates after a painful tumble near the end of the second quarter at Indiana’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena.
The 23-year-old grimaced after inadvertently doing the splits as he attempted to change direction while driving towards the basket.
The Pacers later said Haliburton, who did not return to the game, had suffered a left hamstring strain.
With Haliburton out of action, Bennedict Mathurin stepped up with 26 points off the bench to lead the second-half fightback after Indiana trailed 68-59 at the break.
A frantic finale looked to have tilted Boston’s way after the Pacers were adjudged to have fouled Jaylen Brown in the closing seconds with the score locked at 131-131.
But Indiana challenged the call and the foul was overturned to leave the score level and give the Pacers one last chance to snatch the win.
Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis then fouled Mathurin with one second on the clock and the Pacers shooting guard promptly sank two free throws to secure the victory.
“We lost the best player on the team, so my role was to step up and help the team win the game,” Mathurin said afterwards.
“Ty (Haliburton) was down but it felt like the team pretty much knew what to do. Everyone had to step up. If your name gets called, be ready to play,” the Canadian added.
“We have a lot of depth on this team. We have a lot of players who can play and perform and have an impact on the game. It was a great win for us.”
The Pacers bench combined for 75 points overall, with the starters finishing with 58.
Boston’s scoring was led by Brown with 40 points, while Jrue Holiday finished with 21 and Porzingis 19.
Boston remain top of the Eastern Conference standings at 28-8 while fifth-placed Indiana improved to 21-15.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle meanwhile hailed his team’s response to Haliburton’s injury, adding that the star would undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
“Really amazing effort from our team,” Carlisle said. “Lot of emotions in this game. We hope it isn’t serious. He’s getting an MRI tomorrow.”
- Milwaukee slump continues -
In other games on Monday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren both impressed as the Oklahoma City Thunder downed the Washington Wizards 136-128.
Jordan Poole scored 24 points for Washington but the Wizards were ultimately overpowered by the youthful Thunder line-up.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points while Chet Holmgren weighed in with 31 points, including four of five shooting from three-point distance.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ recent slump continued with a 132-116 home defeat to the Utah Jazz.
Utah dominated for almost the entirety after trailing briefly in the first quarter, jumping into a 33-point lead just before half-time, before cruising to victory.
Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson led the Pacers with 21 points each while Giannis Antetokounmpo topped the Bucks scoring with 25 points, completing a triple double with 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
In Miami, Tyler Herro scored 28 points and Bam Adebayo 22 as the Heat edged past the Houston Rockets 120-113.
In Charlotte, Terry Rozier scored 39 points but it was not enough to prevent the Hornets falling 119-112 to the Chicago Bulls. Coby White led the Bulls scoring with 27 points.
The Los Angeles Clippers meanwhile dominated the Phoenix Suns 138-111 in their Western Conference clash.
Kevin Durant posted a game-high 30 points for Phoenix, but the Clippers’ balanced offense proved too strong for the Suns, with Paul George finishing with 25 points. Six Clippers players ended in double figures.
- Injury blow -
Meanwhile, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant will miss the rest of the NBA season due to a shoulder injury he suffered just weeks after his return from a 25-game suspension.
The Grizzlies said in a statement that the gifted 24-year-old point guard suffered an injury to his right shoulder during training on Saturday.
“Following ongoing soreness and instability, Morant underwent an MRI that revealed an underlying labral tear,” the Grizzlies said.
“Morant will undergo season-ending surgery and is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024-2025 season.”
The injury comes as a hammer blow to Memphis and Morant as they attempt to turn around a season which has left them languishing in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 13-23 record.
