AN update has been revealed on Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton concerning worries he might miss the rest of the NBA Finals.
Haliburton played through an injury during the Pacers’ Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton hunched over during the team’s 120-109 Game 5 road defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals[/caption]
Haliburton briefly left the game during the first quarter due to a lower leg injury[/caption]
The Thunder are just one win away from winning the NBA title as they are up 3-2 in the series with Game 6 set for Thursday night.
While the Pacers will look to win a do-or-die game in front of their home crowd, they should be concerned about Haliburton, who aggravated a calf injury he had been playing through in Game 5.
The Pacers’ star grabbed at his lower leg after a fall in the first quarter and briefly left the game for treatment before eventually making his return.
But the 25-year-old Haliburton didn’t look like his usual self as he finished with four points, all coming in the second half and from the free throw line, in 34 minutes of play.
So will Haliburon play in Game 6? After Monday’s contest, the two-time NBA All-Star said that all systems are go for him to play in the elimination game.
“It’s the Finals, man,” Haliburton said to reporters.
“I’ve worked my whole life to be here, and I want to be out there to compete.
“Help my teammates any way I can.
“If I can walk, then I want to play.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters that Haliburton is “not at a hundred percent. … But I don’t think he’s going to miss the next game.”
Carlisle did share that the Pacers will “evaluate everything with Tyrese” and would continue to monitor him.
Haliburton has dealt with the calf injury during the series.
During Game 2, Haliburton could be seen limping, and then revealed before Game 3 that he was dealing with a “lower leg” injury.
Fast forward to Game 5, and Haliburton was held scoreless at halftime for the first time in 36 career playoff games.
He ended the night with seven rebounds and six assists but missed all six of his shots.
Haliburton posted just four points and was 0-6 from the field on Monday night[/caption]
Haliburton would watch the Thunder strike as Jalen Williams put together a magical performance, posting a career playoff-high 40 points, and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 31 of his own.
It will be difficult to see Haliburton not on the floor for Game 6.
Expect Carlisle to utilize backup TJ McConnell, who scored 18 off the bench and helped the Pacers’ 18-point deficit down to two in the fourth.
But McConnell was surprisingly on the bench for a crucial seven-plus minute stretch that saw the Thunder pull away for good.
Game 6 will take place on Thursday at 8:30 pm ET in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Thunder star Jalen Williams celebrates during the third quarter of this team’s win as he finished with a career-high 40 points[/caption]
