Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton will play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, despite a strained right calf.
Haliburton’s status was questionable after injuring himself on a drive during Game 5. With the season — and championship — on the line, he has received the green light to play. The Oklahoma City Thunder lead the series 3-2 and can clinch the title with a victory.
Just caught up with Tyrese Haliburton. “I just had to hear that it was ok [to play]. That’s all I needed to hear, honestly. I know the risks, I know everything that comes with it. Just had to hear it was ok.”
— Tony East (@TonyREast) June 19, 2025
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle addressed the media pre-game regarding the matter.
“Tyrese is gonna play, he was strength tested at 5 p.m. and did very well,” Carlisle said. “Went through [the] walk-through, there’s no set minutes limit. We will watch and monitor things very closely from the beginning of the game through the entirety of the game. We’ll go from there.”
“Tyrese is gonna play… he was strength-tested at 5pm and did very well. Went through walkthrough, there’s no set minutes limit. We will watch and monitor things very closely.”
– Coach Carlisle on Haliburton’s status in tonight’s must-win Game 6 pic.twitter.com/CNpD4YF5NX
— NBA (@NBA) June 19, 2025
When Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault addressed the media, he indicated Haliburton will receive the same respect he always does.
“He’s a great player, and that’s one thing we know, it’s that you don’t underestimate great players in these situations,” he said. “We expect him to come out and play like a great player would play.”
How Will Thunder Guard Haliburton?
Based on Daigneault’s statement, it appears as though Luguentz Dort will keep the assignment on Haliburton. He has face-guarded Haliburton virtually all series, so expect that to continue.
There were stretches in Game 5 where that didn’t feel necessary. Haliburton was a complete shell of himself and totally unassertive. One can see the sense, though, in the Thunder wanting to maintain their own intensity level and not giving even the slightest bit of confidence to Haliburton.
Indiana will certainly be glad it can rely on Haliburton in this crucial game, but it remains to be seen how effective he’ll be. Beyond him, the Pacers will still need strong performances from Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell and Ben Sheppard at the guard spots.
Depth has been the story for the Pacers all postseason and this will be their biggest test yet.
