Indiana Pacers Injury Report (Jan. 18): Are Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith suiting up vs Sacramento Kings?

Tyrese Haliburton will not play for the Indiana Pacers when they take on the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. The Pacers earlier upgraded Haliburton's status to questionable after sitting out for a week due to a hamstring injury but he's sidelined for today's game after hamstring injury.

While there are still uncertainties on whether their acquisition, Pascal Siakam, will suit up immediately, Haliburton's absence is a huge hit for Pacers. Aaron Nesmith is nursing a shin injury and is questionable for the matchup.

Obi Toppin (calf) and Bennedict Mathurin (ankle) are also questionable for the game between the Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings.

What happened to Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith?

Tyrese Haliburton left the Jan. 8 game against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter after hurting his leg when he slipped. It was later diagnosed as a Grade 1 left hamstring strain. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Indiana was relieved that Haliburton's injury was not too serious, although he had to miss four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Nesmith has bilateral shin soreness, but when and where the issue arose is unknown. Nesmith played against the Atlanta Hawks but sat out the next two games against the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz.

When will Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith return?

Tyrese Haliburton was expected to be re-evaluated next week, but the upgrade of his injury status to questionable could mean he is ahead of schedule.

On the other hand, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reported that Aaron Nesmith practiced with the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, which means he might be able to play on Thursday night.

Is Tyrese Haliburton suiting up for return to Sacramento?

With Haliburton's status being upgraded to questionable, he could see action here. This would be his first game in Sacramento since the Kings sent him to Indiana in exchange for Domantas Sabonis.

Haliburton's return would be timely, as the Pacers look to end a two-game slide as their West Coast trip continues. However, the risk of exacerbating the injury is real and will be a prominent factor in the decision to play him. While there is a chance Haliburton will suit up on Thursday, the team may err on the side of caution and not risk losing Haliburton for an extended period.

Indiana is missing the presence of another starter, Bruce Brown, who was part of the trade package they sent to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Pascal Siakam.