Overview
- Multiple outlets reported Wednesday that Haliburton has a diagnosed left hamstring strain and will miss an unspecified amount of time while Pacers medical staff and specialists determine a recovery timetable.
- Indiana’s official injury report also lists several other absences, with Ivica Zubac and T.J. McConnell ruled out and Andrew Nembhard listed as questionable, leaving the roster short on interior defense and ball-handling depth.
- Philadelphia’s initial report cleared starters Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe to play, but the Sixers remain thin behind Embiid with Dominick Barlow, Tacko Fall and Jabari Walker all sidelined.
- Haliburton had just returned from a torn right Achilles that cost him the 2025-26 season and averaged about 21.8 points and 9.5 assists across four games this year before the hamstring issue emerged.
- The injury forces the Pacers to reshuffle rotations and play-calling, increases pressure on Pascal Siakam and role players to create offense, and gives the Sixers a tactical advantage on paper while a conservative medical timeline is established.