Is Tyrese Haliburton playing tonight against New York Knicks? Looking at Pacers guard's status for Game 1 (May 6)

Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton has been added to the injury report, tagged as questionable for the highly anticipated Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks on Monday.

Last summer, Haliburton and Jalen Brunson were competing for the starting point guard position on Team USA’s FIBA World Cup squad.

Now, the two All-Star point guards are in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The second-seeded New York Knicks, led by Brunson, will go head-to-head with Haliburton's sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks advanced through a tough first-round battle against the Philadelphia 76ers, clinching the series in six games. Meanwhile, the Pacers pulled off an upset against the injury-plagued, third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, also in six games.

Now, Indiana faces another formidable Eastern Conference team dealing with a critical absentee.

The Knicks are playing without three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle, who underwent a season-ending shoulder surgery. Despite Randle's absence, Jalen Brunson's exceptional performance and the team's solid defense have primarily compensated for the loss.

The upcoming series presents a clash of styles. The Pacers boast the NBA's second-highest rated offense but find themselves ranked 24th in defense. Meanwhile, the Knicks ended the season strong with a well-rounded performance, finishing in the top-10 in both offense and defense.

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What happened to Tyrese Haliburton?

Tyrese Haliburton suffered a hamstring strain with 3:10 remaining in the second quarter during the 133-131 victory over the Boston Celtics on Jan. 8.

The injury happened as he attempted to maneuver past Derrick White, but a delayed defensive move by Kristaps Porzingis caused Haliburton to suddenly halt his momentum, leading to a split.

Haliburton was unable to support himself on his legs. He needed help to exit the court and was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.

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Tyrese Haliburton stats vs New York Knicks

In his fourth season, Tyrese Haliburton has appeared in eight games against the New York Knicks, going 3-5.

He has averaged 17.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists with 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks on 46.8% shooting, including 30.4% from the 3-point line on 7.0 attempts and 88.0% from the charity stripe on 3.1 attempts.

In three games against the Knicks, his averages increased across the board, with 19.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 13.3 assists with 0.7 steals and 1.3 blocks on 51.2% shooting, 32.0% from beyond the arc and 90.0% from the free-throw line.