Wizards vs. Pacers Wednesday NBA injury report, odds: Sky-high total at sportsbooks; Indiana begins life without Tyrese Haliburton
The Indiana Pacers begin life without All-Star Tyrese Haliburton on Wednesday vs. Washington.
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The breakout star of this NBA season so far has been Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton. He was an All-Star last season but has taken the leap to superstardom and is a legitimate MVP candidate. That was before he sustained an injury on Monday, and Haliburton will now likely miss at least two weeks of action. Pacers totals have been sky-high this season because of the Haliburton-driven league-best offense, and not much has changed yet the books with the total for Wednesday's home game vs. Washington set at 253.5,
Haliburton inadvertently did the splits after slipping on the court in Monday's game against Boston in the second quarter. The former Iowa State star grabbed at his left thigh and rolled over in pain. His teammates had to carry him back to the locker room. Multiple players had slipped on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse floor prior to Haliburton's injury. The star guard was ruled out at halftime.
He has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain that will not require surgery. Haliburton won't be re-evaluated for even two weeks, so sitting out through the All-Star break is a possibility, although he undoubtedly wants to play in the Feb. 18 showcase -- especially since this season's game is in Indianapolis. Haliburton is averaging 23.6 points, a league-best 12.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.
He entered Monday on pace to become first player in NBA history to average at least 24 points and 12 assists per game but his scoring average dipped a bit after scoring seven points. He also entered Monday at 12.7 assists per game, which would be the highest average by any player since Utah Jazz Hall of Famer John Stockton's 13.7 in 1991-92. Haliburton already has 10 games with at least 15 assists, the most in a season in franchise history and most by any player since Russell Westbrook in 2020-21 (14).
Indiana (21-15) sits sixth in the Eastern Conference. In January last season, the Pacers were 23-19 and sixth in the East as well when Haliburton suffered a bone bruise in his left knee. They finished 1-9 in his 18-day absence and would not even make the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. DraftKings currently lists Indiana at -310 to make the playoffs – which means being among the final eight teams – and +240 to not. The Pacers are -140 second-favorites to participate in the Eastern play-in tournament behind Chicago (-160).
That there's still a monster total Wednesday night might not accurately reflect how the books will handle Indiana games without Haliburton. Washington is horrifically bad on defense, allowing an NBA-high 126.3 points per game. The Wizards' opponents have shot 50.5% from the field. Indiana is the second-worst defensive team in the league, surrendering 124.4 PPG but leads in scoring at 127.0 PPG and in offensive rating at 122.4. Both would be the best marks in league history. The 1981-82 Denver Nuggets hold the current PPG record at 126.5.
The Pacers are 1-2 without Haliburton this season, with all three games coming on the road. Indiana was held to fewer than 110 points in two of those outings (both losses) and is averaging 119.0 PPG in the three. The team does have a very capable backup in TJ McConnell. The Pacers still managed to beat the Celtics on Monday despite not having Haliburton in the second half as McConnell had 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds in 25 minutes. He might still come off the bench with Andrew Nembhard starting.
Indiana and Washington have split two meetings and have combined to score 263 and 260 points, so this number likely would have been in that ballpark if Haliburton was healthy. The Pacers have scored 140 or more points eight times (8-0 record) -- the most in franchise history. They've tallied 130 or more points 15 times this season (13-2) and 120 or more 28 times (21-7).
It doesn't appear there are any other injury concerns for either club, but that obviously can change during the day.
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