The Indiana Pacers have done well to win two games in the NBA Finals against a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they have lost the last two as well. OKC currently holds a 3-2 lead and boasts strong momentum going into Game 6 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Tyrese Haliburton had a game to forget after scoring four points in 34 minutes against the Thunder. He missed all of his shots from mid-range and the three-point line. All the points Haliburton put up on the board on the night came from free throws.
It didn’t look like the Haliburton we’re all used to seeing, and that was exactly the case. The Pacers star was playing through an injury in Game 5.
Shams Charania Confirms Tyrese Haliburton Suffered a Right Calf Strain Ahead of Game 6
In the first quarter, the Pacers guard suffered an awkward fall when attempting a drive to the rim against Chet Holmgren. He even left to receive treatment, and continued to play through the entire game. During the post-game press conference, Haliburton boldly said, “If I can walk, then I want to play.”
But now Shams Charania has confirmed that the player has suffered a strain in his right calf, and will be undergoing a MRI in the coming hours for the Pacers to understand the severity of the injury.
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is believed to have suffered a strained right calf and will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the strain, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/4FTIoB1RVU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 17, 2025
Charania also admitted that this was the same leg that Haliburton had ankle soreness in, and that there would definitely be major doubt about his status if it weren’t the NBA Finals.
Regardless of whether he shrugs off the injury and plays in Game 6, it is now clear that Haliburton will not be at 100%. That delivers the Pacers a huge blow, considering the role he holds on Rick Carlisle’s roster.
The head coach also confirmed that other Pacers players were also dealing with injuries. “He’s not 100%,” Carlisle said. “It’s pretty clear. But I don’t think he’s going to miss the next game. We were concerned at halftime. He insisted on playing. I thought he made a lot of really good things happen in the second half. But he’s not 100%. There’s a lot of guys in this series that aren’t.”
The two-time NBA All-Star is averaging 17.9 points, 9.1 assists, and 5.8 rebounds in the playoffs this year. That PPG average comes down to 15 in the NBA Finals against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co.
Although his scoring numbers may indicate that he doesn’t have much of an impact, there is no denying how many times he has come up clutch for the Pacers. One example is when he hit a game-winning jumper at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals when there was less than half a second on the clock.
Carlisle and the Pacers will surely have to prepare a backup plan in case Haliburton becomes unavailable for Game 6. They have another talented point guard in T.J. McConnell, who has been hailed as a game-changer as well.
