Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has been diagnosed with a nervous right leg and will undergo an MRI. Once the severity is clarified, the next step can be determined. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported.
The 25-year-old was completely out of place in Game 5 Monday, with no single shot. He shot 6 from the field, including missing all four of his three-pointers. He did contribute 7 rebounds and 6 assists in 34 minutes.
Indiana lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-109 and fell into a 3-2 series deficit. It was the first time the Pacers lost their back-to-back games in these playoffs and their first time in the series.
TJ McConnell improved by 18 points, four rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes as Haliburton struggled.
Halliburton has been outstanding throughout the playoffs, and that’s the biggest reason why the Pacers are on this grand stage. In the playoffs, he averaged 17.9 points, 9.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds.
The timing of this injury is a suction cup.
“Once the Pacers and Halliburton return the results to this MRI, they will be able to identify the severity, then squeeze in and then work hard to draw out the plan for Game 6.”@malika_andrews and @shamscharania Discuss Tyreth Halliburton’s… pic.twitter.com/xani9ehlog
– NBA on ESPN (@epnnba) June 17, 2025
The tough decision of the walker Halliburton
In the NBA finals, it will be extremely difficult for the Pacers while their family venues face elimination.
Calf injuries can be very tricky, especially when it comes to overcompensation. There must be a wise decision to make an informed decision about the stability of his calf, which is not only for the health of a particular muscle, but also the extent to which he is putting pressure on other muscles.
Kevin Durant suffered right leg pressure during the 2019 NBA playoffs, forcing him to miss nine games. He broke up his right-wing follow-up when he returned to the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the final.
This is obviously the worst case scenario, but it should be kept in mind that it depends on the severity of Halliburton’s injury. Recently, Aaron Gordon fought against the 2nd grade hamstring pull to play Game 7 against the Thunder’s Western Conference Semi-Finals.
Halliburton firmly had the importance of the final stage when explaining the decision to fight 34 minutes in Game 5.
“I mean, this is the NBA final. It’s the final, man,” Halliburton said. “I’ve worked here all my life and I want to play there to help my teammates with any ability.
“If I can walk, I want to play. They understand that, and that’s it. Have to be ready to compete.”
Game 6 is in Indiana at 8:30 pm ET on Thursday.
