Pacers lose Haliburton in win; Morant set for surgery
The Indiana Pacers overcame a scary injury to star point guard Tyrese Haliburton before beating the in-form Boston Celtics 133-131 on Monday in the NBA, while the Memphis Grizzlies announced that Ja Morant's season is over. Haliburton, one of the brightest stars in the league, was carried off the court by teammates after a painful tumble near the end of the second quarter at Indiana's Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena. The Pacers later said Haliburton, who did not return to the game, had suffered a left hamstring strain. With Haliburton out of action, Bennedict Mathurin stepped up with 26 points off the bench to lead the second-half fightback after Indiana trailed 68-59 at the break. At 131-131, Boston's Kristaps Porzingis fouled Mathurin with one second on the clock and the Pacers shooting guard promptly sank two free throws to secure the victory. In other games on Monday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren both impressed as the Oklahoma City Thunder downed the Washington Wizards 136-128. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points while Chet Holmgren weighed in with 31 points, including four of five shooting from three-point distance. In Miami, Tyler Herro scored 28 points and Bam Adebayo 22 as the Heat edged past the Houston Rockets 120-113. In Charlotte, Terry Rozier scored 39 points but it was not enough to prevent the Hornets falling 119-112 to the Chicago Bulls. Coby White led the Bulls scoring with 27 points. Meanwhile, Ja Morant's season is over, after the Memphis Grizzlies announced on Monday night that their star guard needs surgery to repair a tear in his right shoulder. Morant got hurt in practice on Saturday, the Grizzlies said. The two-time All-Star was in a sling for the Grizzlies' game against Phoenix on Sunday, and then the news came a day later about how serious the issue was. (AFP/AP)