INDIANAPOLIS — It’s hard to pick out which body part is hurting Tyrese Haliburton the most.
Foot? Back? Hamstring?
But there’s clearly nothing wrong with his heart.
The Pacers star has shown plenty of that in bouncing back from his offensive funk and lifting Indiana back into this Eastern Conference semifinals series.
The sight of Haliburton driving with abandon to power Friday’s 111-106 Game 3 win over the Knicks, then having to steady himself on the rails as he gimped up and down to the postgame podium, told the tale better than words could.
“My just overall body right now,” Haliburton said. “I’m hurting. But they’ve got guys hurting, too. We’ve got to understand that everybody’s hurting right now. Thank God we’ve got a day in-between. I’m young, and I’ll heal up and be ready on Sunday.”
Indiana goes into Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. Game 4 matinee trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. It could’ve easily been 3-0 if not for Haliburton, who had 35 points, seven assists and two steals.
“Just getting downhill,” Haliburton said, shrugging. “Being aggressive, being who I am.”
But Haliburton, who has been dealing with a bad back, took a hard fall on his tailbone with 9:25 to play.
Then he had a steal and layup with 7:42 left, but rolled his ankle avoiding Josh Hart on the finish.
He didn’t score again, missing his final three shots.
Haliburton is officially listed as questionable for Sunday with a number of ailments: low back spasms, sacral contusion (essentially a back bruise) and a right ankle sprain.
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“He got banged up,” Carlisle said. “The hope is he’s going to be OK for Sunday. I think it’s going to be hard to keep him out of the game.”
Indiana doesn’t just need the NBA assist champ.
They need him aggressive in Game 4 and beyond, the same way he was in Game 3.
Haliburton had his most points and shots (26) since a Nov. 30 loss in Miami, before the hamstring injury that has been a clear line of demarcation for his season.
The All-Star has been a shadow of his former self since that Jan. 8 strain.
“Whether he’s scoring a lot of points or not,” Carlisle said, “his aggression is going to be important in every game.”
The Pacers need it.
Haliburton took just seven shots in the first-round opener vs. Milwaukee but grew into the series.
Then after a quiet six-shot night in Game 1 in the Garden, he joined Steph Curry, James Harden, Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell as the only players with consecutive playoff games with 30 points and six 3s.
“He adapts quickly. For a first-timer in the playoffs, he’s had to do some pretty significant adjusting,” Carlisle said. “His aggression was very important.”
And it will be in Game 4.
“[The 26] shots is the most I’ve shot in a very long time, maybe ever,” Haliburton said. “But whatever’s needed to win, that’s how I’m approaching these games now, especially after a rough Game 1. How can I impact the game? Some games it’s gonna be scoring, some games it’s going to be facilitating, some games it’s gonna be both. But whatever I gotta do to win is what I want to do.”
