Notes on Injuries: Haliburton, Bam, K. Murray, Suns, Hornets, Nuggets
Rory Maher, December 2, 2023, at 3:59 p.m. CST
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton is anticipated to miss Saturday’s matchup with Miami. The top player for Indiana is formally rated as questionable.
Haliburton missed the team’s morning shootaround because of an upper respiratory infection and a bone bruise in his right knee, according to a tweet from Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter), the Pacers were just 6-20 without Haliburton during the previous campaign.
Haliburton, who in the off-season inked a five-year rookie scale extension with the maximum salary, is off to an All-NBA-caliber start in 2023–24. He is averaging career-high 27.0 points and a league-high 11.8 assists, along with an outstanding shooting line of.519/.447/.880. Hopefully, he’ll recover in time for the Pacers’ quarterfinal matchup against the Celtics on Monday in the league’s first-ever in-season tournament.
Heat center Bam Adebayo has also been ruled out of Saturday’s contest due to a left hip contusion, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link) wouldn’t be surprised to see Orlando Robinson get the starting nod in his place, with Kevin Love continuing to come off the bench due to the synergy he’s developing with the second unit.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL (Twitter link) has been informed by sources that Kings forward Keegan Murray, the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, will make his comeback against Denver on Saturday. Murray missed four games due to lower back soreness. Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link) reports that Jamal Murray (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (heel) are questionable for the Nuggets after missing Friday’s game against Phoenix.
Due to injury, Suns star Devin Booker is doubtful for Saturday’s game against Memphis, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Due to an ankle sprain, Booker was unable to play against Denver on Friday. Due to a contusion in his right knee, Eric Gordon is likewise dubious.
The Hornets announced (via Twitter) that backup center Nick Richards will play again on Saturday after sitting out the previous six games due to the league’s concussion protocol. Brandon Miller, the second overall pick, will also be available despite missing Charlotte’s most recent game due to a left ankle injury.
