The Indiana Pacers will be facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The game will take place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse and that is surely good news for the Pacers, who will have the home advantage.
It will be a do-or-die game for Indiana, who sit on the brink of failure with a 2-3 deficit to Thunder. OKC have done well to fight back from a 2-1 deficit earlier in the series, and momentum certainly tips the scales in their favor as well.
To make matters worse, the Pacers will have to go into the game with an injury-depleted roster as well, mainly Tyrese Haliburton, who has come up clutch on multiple occasions this postseason.
Shams Charania Reveals Tyrese Haliburton’s Intention to Play
The Pacers have not announced an update on Haliburton’s injury, but NBA insider Shams Charania claims that the player has “every intention to play.”
“Tyrese Haliburton has every intention of playing tonight..
He’s fully intending to be out there tonight”@ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/JUD2YEKBBH
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 19, 2025
Isiah Jackson and Jarace Walker are also out for the title-decider. Haliburton suffered a right calf strain in the first quarter of Game 6, after a failed drive-in against Chet Holmgren.
He may have aggravated the injury after continuing to play through it for the rest of the game. NBA insider Shams Charania also mentioned that this was the same leg that Haliburton had ankle soreness in earlier.
The player broke silence and made a strong admission about the injury. “I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play,” Haliburton said to media after the Pacers’ training session.
It looks like the Pacers are gearing up for the possibility of playing Game 6 without their primary point guard, as Myles Turner admitted. “You have to prepare either way. We’ve been in games without Tyrese (Haliburton) before. It’s unfortunate that in one of the biggest games of the season that there’s a chance he doesn’t play.”
OKC have done an exceptional job of figuring out how to beat Pacers. Mark Daigneault has brought Isaiah Hartenstein back to the starting five, and the big man has played a key role. His impressive screen-setting ability has allowed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to charge against a mismatched Pacers defense.
Now, Pacers may struggle without Haliburton’s usual scoring and play-making abilities considering he won’t be at a 100%. But Rick Carlisle is blessed with a decent backup in T.J. McConnell. He is currently averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds in just 16.7 minutes per game, and may prove to be a good option instead of Haliburton.
The young star’s status will mostly avoid playing long stretches in order to prevent from worsening the injury further. McConnell’s talent can also help Carlisle switch up the lineups between the two players, but it is a huge boost that Haliburton will play in Game 6 tonight.
