Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has been diagnosed with a strained right calf and will undergo an MRI. Once the severity is clarified, the next steps can be determined. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report.
The 25-year-old was completely out of sorts in Game 5 Monday, finishing without a single made field goal. He shot 0-of-6 from the field, including missing all four of his 3-point attempts. He did contribute seven rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes.
Indiana lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 120-109, falling into a 3-2 series deficit. It is the first time the Pacers have lost back-to-back games in these playoffs and the first time they are trailing in a series as well.
With Haliburton struggling, T.J. McConnell stepped up and delivered 18 points, four rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes.
Haliburton has been magnificent throughout the postseason and is the biggest reason the Pacers are on this grand stage. He is averaging 17.9 points, 9.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds in the playoffs.
The timing of this injury is a sucker punch.
“Once the Pacers and Haliburton get the results back on this MRI, on that calf strain, they’re going to be able to identify the severity and then huddle and map out exactly what the plan will be going into Game 6.”@malika_andrews and @ShamsCharania discuss Tyrese Haliburton’s… pic.twitter.com/XANI9ehLog
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 17, 2025
Tough Decision Ahead For Haliburton, Pacers
Keeping a long-term view while facing elimination on their home floor in the NBA Finals is going to be extremely difficult for the Pacers.
Calf injuries can be extremely tricky, especially when it comes to overcompensation. There has to be an informed decision made on the stability of his calf, not only for the specific muscle’s health but the degree to which he’ll pressure other muscles.
Kevin Durant notoriously suffered a right calf strain during the 2019 NBA playoffs, which forced him to miss nine games. When he returned for the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Finals, he ruptured his right Achilles.
That is, obviously, a worst-case scenario but something to be kept in mind, depending on the severity of Haliburton’s injury. Recently, Aaron Gordon battled a Grade 2 hamstring strain to play Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Thunder.
When explaining the decision to battle it out for 34 minutes in Game 5, Haliburton was adamant about the importance of the Finals stage.
“I mean, it’s the NBA Finals. It’s the Finals, man,” Haliburton said. “I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I wanna be out there to compete, help my teammates any way I can. I was not great tonight by any means but it’s not really a thought of mine to not play here.
“If I can walk then I wanna play. They understand that and it is what it is. Gotta be ready to go for Game 6.”
Game 6 is Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST in Indiana.
