Haliburton out again as Pacers face elimination

INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said guard Tyrese Haliburton will not play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night because of a sore left hamstring.

It’s the second straight game Haliburton has missed since he aggravated a hamstring injury during the first half of Game 2 in Boston last Thursday. He sat out Game 3 despite “desperately wanting to play,” according to Carlisle.

The Pacers ended up holding an 18-point lead in the second half of that game but could not hold on to beat Boston. The win gave the Celtics a 3-0 series lead.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Pacers intended to err on the side of caution with Haliburton’s hamstring after he missed 10 games in January with the same issue.

Haliburton, who was named third-team All-NBA last week, is averaging 18.7 points and 8.2 assists in 15 games during his first career playoff run, leading the Pacers to two series victories as the lower seed.

Meanwhile, the Celtics have said both Jrue Holiday and Luke Kornet are available for Game 4. Kristaps Porzingis remains out.