Indiana Pacers battle through Tyrese Haliburton injury to sink Boston Celtics
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Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
PHOTO: REUTERS
INDIANA – The Indiana Pacers overcame a scary injury to star point guard Tyrese Haliburton before beating the in-form Boston Celtics 133-131 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Jan 8.
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.
He 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 their key man 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 with the score locked at 131-131.
But 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 in the team, so my role was to step up and help the team win the game,” Mathurin said. “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.
“We have a lot of depth, a lot of players who can play and have an impact on the game. It was a great win.”
The Pacers bench combined for 75 points overall, with the starters finishing with 58.
Boston’s scoring was led by Jaylen Brown with 40 points, while Jrue Holiday finished with 21 and Porzingis 19. It was Brown’s 10th career 40-point game for Boston, behind only Larry Bird (52), Jayson Tatum (27), Paul Pierce (24), and John Havlicek (17).
The Celtics remain top of the Eastern Conference standings at 28-8 while sixth-placed Indiana improved to 21-15.
Second-placed Milwaukee Bucks’ (25-12) recent slump continued with a 132-116 home defeat to the Utah Jazz. They have now lost four of their past five games.
Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz 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 other news, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. He suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder during a training session and an MRI revealed an underlying labral tear.
Morant, 24, was suspended without pay by the NBA for the first 25 games of the season after the league found he had displayed a firearm in a car in a live-streamed video.
Upon his return, the Grizzlies won four straight games and he was named Western Conference Player of the Week in his first week back. AFP, REUTERS
