Haliburton Sidelined by Hamstring Strain in Latest Blow to Injury-Hit Pacers

The Indiana Pacers' brutal start to the season has taken another cruel turn, with star point guard Tyrese Haliburton set to miss time after suffering a left hamstring strain. The injury, first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania on Wednesday, leaves the Pacers without their floor general for Wednesday's game against Philadelphia and beyond, with the length of the absence depending on the severity of the strain. Head coach Rick Carlisle struck a cautiously hopeful note, saying the team hoped it was not a long-term issue but admitting more would be known later in the evening. The timing is especially painful for Haliburton, who returned this season after missing all of last campaign with the torn Achilles he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Through four games he had averaged 21.8 points and 9.5 assists, looking every bit the player who led Indiana to the Finals. His absence compounds a staggering injury list: four of the Pacers' five ideal starters are on the injury report, with Ivica Zubac, Ben Sheppard and T.J. McConnell out and Johnny Furphy sidelined with a torn ACL. Haliburton joins a growing roll call of stars missing time in the season's first weeks, including Jalen Williams, Anthony Edwards, Paolo Banchero and Kawhi Leonard, as teams across the league count the cost of a punishing early schedule.