Pacers Make Tyrese Haliburton Decision After Ugly Night vs. Cavs

Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers entered Friday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with all the momentum in the world.

Back in Game 2 last Tuesday, Haliburton delivered a dagger 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 120-119 victory and a 2-0 series lead over the Cavs. But in Game 3, Haliburton's impact, if any, was barely felt in the contest.

The former Iowa State Cyclones star collected just four points on a horrid 2-for-8 shooting from the field in 30 minutes of action in a 126-104 defeat at the hands of Donovan Mitchell and company. 

In front of over 17,000 fans inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana, Haliburton failed to find his rhythm, while getting outplayed by Mitchell, who erupted for 40 points on 14-for-29 shooting from the floor.

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) dribbles the ball against the Cavaliers.

Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Following such a forgettable performance, Haliburton was not made available by Indiana's public relations department to the media, according to James Boyd of The Athletic. However, the two-time NBA All-Star will face the media this coming Saturday, as noted by Boyd.

While neither team shot better than 44 percent from the field, the Cavaliers dominated the possession battle, as evidenced by their 100 field goal attempts to only 85 by the Pacers. Cleveland had 18 offensive rebounds while Indiana only had four such boards.

The good news for the Pacers is that they're still ahead 2-1 in the series with another home game coming up. They will look to restore order in Game 4 on Sunday before traveling back to Cleveland for Game 5.