Tyrese Haliburton's body language conveys a message far more convincing than his voice. The Indiana Pacers' star guard was just stealed in the third quarter of Friday's game by Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings, who turned an easy steal into an unguarded fast-break dunk.
When Barnes lays up on the Thyroid Bridge Stadium court, Haliburton feels like he's stuck in the sand, unable to break free and unable to play freely.
When Barnes dunked the ball to the basket, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle immediately called a timeout. Haliburton bent over his head, showed disgust, and eventually slowly walked back to the bench – a place that has been giving him more pressure than relief lately.
Obviously, this is frustrating. I'm someone who wants to play at any time," Haliburton said after Indiana's 133-122 loss to his former team. "It's terrible. ...But I can't go back in time and change what happened. ”
Haliburton initially suffered a left leg strangulation in a home defeat to Boston on Jan. 8. He returned to Portland on Jan. 19 after a five-game break, contributing 21 points and 17 assists in another loss. In addition to the loss, Haliburton's left leg suffered another blow that he later called a "backwards" in his left leg. He missed five games again, but this time there were more hurdles to overcome.
Some are still standing in his way.
Haliburton was limited to 22 minutes in two losses on Tuesday and Thursday in Boston and New York, and neither of those narrow defeats played the fourth quarter.
With the combined efforts of the medical and coaching staff, Haliburton, who was still limited by minutes, decided to choose to rest in the first quarter instead of the fourth quarter for Friday's game against the Kings. He came off the bench for the first time in his career, playing in the second quarter of the game before warming up on an exercise bike in the aisle.
Despite a different strategy, the results were no better, with the Pacers losing their third game in a row. Indiana trailed by as many as 18 points at one point, while Haliburton contributed 14 points in what may have been his worst game of the season, hitting six goals, three rebounds, and a season-low one assist and five turnovers.
When asked if his left leg was pain-free after the next day's game and the Pacers' third game in four days, Haliburton paused for a long time before discreetly revealing some inside information.
I would say, honestly, that's the essence of it," Haliburton carefully chose his wording. "I think anyone who has ever experienced a hamstring problem understands that this is not a small matter. Even after a while when you're completely **, you'll still feel a little bit. There are no structural issues (no problem). I think there was still some pain, but I could tolerate it. That's not a problem. My medical team is outstanding. ”
Carlisle has been by Haliburton's side throughout his hard-working career. Prior to his left leg injury, Haliburton was in his superprime and was eventually selected as the fourth All-Star starter in Pacers history.
But he didn't look like an All-Star on Friday, as his first pass in the second quarter was stealed by the Kings' De Aaron Fox, causing Malik Monk to be fouled in the transition. Haliburton's turnovers against the Kings are the third-most of his games this season.
NBA players are people, not machines," Carlisle said. "As good as Tyrese is at protecting the ball, some nights can be tough. He was in a different situation, starting the second quarter, which certainly contributed to that. I guess there's no doubt about it. ”
Carlisle said Indiana will continue to carefully evaluate Haliburton's best plan to try to return to his pre-injury form. Despite a terrible game against his old team, Friday was another chance to track his overall health and progress rather than another disappointing one.
Perhaps the Kings feel somewhat overlooked by the fact that Fox and Domantas Sapoñs were not selected as All-Stars, with whom they have won five of their last six games with these two leaders. Sabonis contributed 26 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, breaking his 30th consecutive double-double in franchise history, tied with Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. Fox scored his 25 points in the fourth quarter and fended off the Pacers' comeback with a season-high six steals.
Kings head coach Mike Brown said in his pregame press conference, "I think we're probably the only top-six team in two leagues that doesn't have a single All-Star. "I'm not that good a coach. I don't have any magical dust to sprinkle on these guys. I have players. ”
Carlisle views the talent in his squad in a similar way, refusing to use injury management as an excuse to step backwards with the injury management of his best players. Bonedikht Matthewlin, a sophomore guard who missed two games with a sprained right big toe, was one of Indiana's only bright spots on Friday. With Haliburton limited minutes and Myles Turner missing with a sprained left ankle, he contributed 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting in Friday's game. Mathurin now has five 30-point games in his career, three of which have come this season.
Pascal Siakam was 10-of-22 from the field and finished with 22 points. His layup set the game off to a seven-point deficit less than a minute before the end of the game, even if it was too late.
The Kings scored 31 points in 22 turnovers against the Pacers. Five of them were from Mathurin, while the other five were from Siakam, who was critical of his performance.
The 29-year-old Siakam fully understands that Indiana acquired him through a multiplayer trade to help the Pacers build new heights at Haliburton. The two of them won't be able to fully establish chemistry between them until Haliburton's time limit is lifted, but that doesn't mean Indiana can afford to continue losing.
Siakam, meanwhile, felt he had to be more proactive and stop the defeat.
At the end of the day, I'm still an All-Star, an All-NBA player on the team, so I have to be able to find ways to influence the game in that regard," Siakam said. "It's not just about scoring. It could have something to do with defense. Find those moments where I have to show the level I can achieve, and I think once I do, the whole team will go down with that level. ”
Siakam reiterated that the three-game losing streak has been tough for his entire team, especially for Haliburton. However, the 23-year-old must continue to prioritize long-term health over short-term satisfaction.
To be honest, I don't really know," Haliburton said of his minute limit for the future. "I think it's just a constant discussion about what it is and the process of figuring it out. I know people are frustrated, but trust me, no one is more frustrated than I am. ”