Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers’ worst nightmare are realized, and he seems to have torn apart his calf or Achilles. The injury occurred in the first quarter of Game 7. Halliburton’s father John confirmed to ESPN that it was indeed Achilles’ injury. He won’t come back.
With five minutes left in the first quarter, Halliburton grabbed the ball above the arc and pump punch before driving onto the layup. Haliburton seemed to pop out his Mavericks/Achilles area while driving at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He immediately went to the floor, twisted in pain, and was helped on the court.
Haliburton started the game with a great start, scoring nine points in seven minutes.
In recent games, a series of events have reminded people of when Kevin Durant suffered a similar fate in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Durant missed the 2019 playoff time due to calf pressure, but returned to Game 5 of the finals. Then, he broke down Achilles in the first half.
Haliburton successfully played 22 minutes in Game 6 after suffering calf pressure in Game 5.
Without Halliburton, the Pacers will be forced to rely heavily on Andrew Nembhard, TJ McConnell and Ben Sheppard.
Tyrese Haliburton was injured in Game 7. pic.twitter.com/az1uk65dfg
– ESPN (@epn) June 23, 2025
NBA players rally around Halliburton
The Pacers, who led 48-47 at halftime, hoped to have a fight without superstars, but NBA players had high hopes for injuries on social media.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Lebron James shared his frustration, while New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony towns were praying on Twitter.
The towns of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony all provide support to Tyrese Haliburton. pic.twitter.com/0egfkr2ubk
— Knicksmus (@knicksmuse) June 23, 2025
damn it! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 🤦🏰♂️🙏🏰
— LeBron James (@kingjames) June 23, 2025
