Pacers Tyrese Haliburton's MRI shows hamstring strain, will cost him at least two weeks

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tyrese Haliburton's MRI on his left leg Tuesday a Grade 1 left hamstring strain according to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who also reported that Haliburton will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Sources confirmed to the IndyStar and the Pacers announced that the MRI confirmed a left hamstring strain and that Haliburton will be re-evaluated following the Pacers' West Coast trip, which runs from Friday through Jan. 21. A source confirmed the strain as having been diagnosed as Grade 1, which is the lowest degree of strain.

The Pacers had reason to be concerned that the injury would be more serious. The All-Star point guard's right foot slipped as he was driving down the lane during Monday night's win over the Celtics and he essentially did a split. He seemed to be in immediate and excruciating pain and had to be carried off the floor. That the injury is a strain and not a severe tear would obviously suggest that Haliburton will be able to return this season.

Any time with Haliburton out is obviously significant. He's averaging 23.6 points and an NBA-leading 12.5 assists per game this season while shooting 49.7% from the field and 40.3% from 3-point range. The 23-year-old made his first All-Star Game last season, signed a five-year max contract extension worth up to $260 million in July, played for team USA in the FIBA World Cup and was leading all Eastern Conference guards in All-Star votes this season through the NBA's first returns. The Pacers have options to replace him at point guard with second-year guard Andrew Nembhard and veterans T.J. McConnell and Bruce Brown, but Haliburton is one of the league's rising stars and the Pacers' unquestioned best player. He will obviously be out for Wednesday's home game against the Wizards, and the upcoming road trip includes games at Atlanta, defending NBA champion Denver, Utah, Sacramento, Portland and Phoenix, so he will be out seven games at minimum.

The Pacers lost nine of 10 games last season when Haliburton was out with an elbow sprain and a bone contusion in his left knee. Even when he returned, they didn't recover and they lost 17 games in a 20-game stretch that sunk their season. However, the Pacers have reason to believe that this year they're better equipped to deal with his absence. Their second-half response to Haliburton's injury on Monday night led to a 133-131 win over the the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics, who were playing without their best player in All-NBA wing Jayson Tatum but were still starting three All-Stars in Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. The Pacers rallied back from an 11-point deficit with a 44-33 third quarter and won the game on two free throws by Bennedict Mathurin with 0.6 seconds to go.

Haliburton is one of eight Pacers averaging in double figures, and they will be able to fill in for his absence without having to elevate anyone who hasn't played rotation minutes this season. And having experienced this type of stretch already last season, they're simply better prepared for the challenges.

"I feel like we're better this year," veteran wing Buddy Hield said after Monday night's game. "It's a good test for our team to see if we can respond. We're battle-tested now to the point where we had the same thing last year too. We'll see what we're made of. It's a more serious vibe from the coaching staff, preparation, players, everybody locked in and just everybody has a goal and the goal is to get to the playoffs. We'll go 1 through 17 to get there."

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle will have difficult decisions to make in terms of the starting lineup. Though he has Nembhard and McConnell as options at point guard, they each average 7.8 points per game, so he may have to restructure the lineup to make sure there is more scoring in the first unit. That could lead to either Hield or Mathurin returning to the starting lineup and could lead to some other moves to assure they maintain their offensive potency without losing any of their recent defensive gains. They lead the NBA in scoring with 127.0 points per game and offensive rating with 122.6 points per 100 possessions. They rank 29th in points allowed with 124.4 points per game and 26th in defensive rating at 120.1 points per 100 possessions, but they're 15th in defensive rating and 21st in points allowed in the last eight games since making a lineup change for defensive purposes. They are 7-1 in those games.

Regardless of how he shapes the lineups and the rotations, the Pacers don't have an immediate replacement for Haliburton's production even if they have players who can play his position. So they have to look to make up for his loss in the aggregate.

"We've been a together group and we have to stay together," Carlisle said Monday. "We have to very strong collective determination with each game. ... Every night it's probably going to be a different one or two guys that are going to be the heroes. Truthfully, that's how it has to be with this group."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tyrese Haliburton's hamstring strain will cost him at least two weeks