Tyrese Haliburton plays through an injury in Indiana Pacers vs Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Finals Game 5
Tyrese Haliburton is playing through a calf injury in Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, reports ESPN and AP. He briefly left the court, then returned with a leg wrap but did not score in the first half.
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton looked far from his best during Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. According to reports from ESPN and the Associated Press, the guard was dealing with right calf tightness which has been bothering him throughout the series.
He played just over 10 minutes in the first quarter but then walked back to the locker room. Haliburton later returned with a wrap on his lower right leg and checked back in during the second quarter. His movement was clearly limited, and it showed in his performance.
Injury affecting Haliburton¡¯s form
Biggest CONCERN with the Indiana Pacers moving forward
¡ª Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) June 17, 2025
The HEALTH of Tyrese Haliburton¡¯s calf
He went 0-6 tonight and didn¡¯t have any of his burst to get past OKC defenders
This is the play he aggravated his ¡°lower leg¡± injury pic.twitter.com/NqHE0Yj6Xl
Haliburton went scoreless in the first half, missing all five of his shots. It was the first time in his playoff career he ended a half without a single point. He also had only two assists, and the Pacers offence looked slow and predictable.
Coach Rick Carlisle had already said that Haliburton was feeling some discomfort. The player himself had kept things simple, saying earlier in the series, ¡°Really just a lower leg thing. I¡¯ll leave it at that.¡±
Indiana now trails in the NBA Finals and must win Game 6 at home to stay alive. But their hopes will depend heavily on Haliburton being healthy and able to lead the way.