Is Tyrese Haliburton playing tonight against the Brooklyn Nets? Latest on Pacers star's availability (Mar. 20)

For the past two years, Tyrese Haliburton has led the Indiana Pacers to impressive regular season records and playoff series wins. With teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons breathing down the necks of the Eastern Conference's fourth seed, Haliburton needs to stay consistent if he wants his team to clinch homecourt advantage in the first round of this year's postseason.

Up next on Indiana's schedule is the Brooklyn Nets. Ahead of the home game on Thursday, as per reports, Haliburton is ruled out from the game citing his back injury as a persistent issue.

The two-time All-Star has missed the Pacers' last two games due to a sore lower back. To Indiana's credit, they secured a 132-130 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and a 135-131 victory over the Dallas Mavericks despite Haliburton's absence.

The Pacers' court general, of course, is a welcome addition any time he's on the court. This season, Haliburton is averaging 18.5 points, 3.5 assists and 9.0 assists per game. Though his numbers have slightly dipped from last season, he is the unquestionable cerebral force behind the Pacers' potent offense.

Of course, with just 14 games left on the Pacers' schedule, the team opts to give Haliburton some more nights off before they begin their playoff run. But, as far as the Thursday matchup against Brooklyn goes, it's clear that Haliburton will not suit up.

Tyrese Haliburton responds to WWE legend after making epic four-point play to win against Bucks

Prior to missing the Pacers' past two games, Haliburton went viral for converting on a four-point play to lead Indiana past the Milwaukee Bucks on Mar. 11.

After the game, pro wrestling legend and current WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque congratulated the Pacers star on X. In his tweet, Levesque wondered out loud if Haliburton's Triple H-inspired shoes that night led him to victory.

Haliburton, who has appeared in WWE events on multiple occasions, responded by borrowing one of Levesque's rebellious catchphrases:

"And if you don’t like that… We got 2 words for ya!!!!" he tweeted.

The last time that Haliburton appeared on a WWE broadcast was Feb. 1's "Royal Rumble." Hours after leading the Pacers to a 132-127 win over the Atlanta Hawks, Haliburton was taking in the pro wrestling action at Lucas Oil Stadium.