Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton was forced to watch from the sidelines in Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics on Monday, no thanks to an injured left hamstring.
It was the second straight game the All-NBA guard missed in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston leveraged Haliburton’s absence, once again defeating the Pacers in the fourth quarter to win 105-102 and secure their 23rd contest in the NBA Finals.
Haliburton, the NBA’s assists champion, had been the driving force for Indiana’s longest postseason appearance in a decade.
Although the Pacers built 18-point leads without Haliburton in Game 3, the Celtics regrouped to take the lead in the match’s final minute and won 114-11. They ended the Pacers’ perfect postseason run at home.
On Monday, Indiana led by eight with 5:56 remaining, before Boston fought back again, taking the final lead on Derrick White’s 3-pointer in the final minute.
Celtics played without All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis, who has not played since April 29th due to a strained right hamstring.
