Well, this sucks. Tyrese Haliburton was clearly not at 100 percent in Game 5 against the Thunder on Tuesday, and now Shams Charania of ESPN has confirmed that Indiana's star suffered a strained right calf and will have an MRI to determine how severe the injury is.
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is believed to have suffered a strained right calf and will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the strain, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/4FTIoB1RVU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 17, 2025
Will Tyrese Haliburton play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals?
Right now, no one is sure. I'm very confident that Hali will try everything in his power to play, especially with Indiana's season on the line, but if he looks like he did on Monday night, it's probably the best thing for his long-term health to watch from the sideline — no matter how much that hurts Pacers fans to hear.
In his place, it'll be up to Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and the rest of the unsung Pacers to keep the ship afloat as Indiana has its backs against the wall, down 3-2 as the series migrates back to Indiana for Game 6.
Oklahoma City is on the doorstep of winning their first NBA Finals
Don't try to discredit the Thunder if they do finish this off in six games. They are the clear best team in the league and deserve full credit for where they are, even with Haliburton potentially missing the rest of the series. Winners of 68 games in the regular season with one of the best net ratings in NBA history, the Thunder deserve every bit of respect for being here, even if they finish the job against a team without its star.
Without Haliburton, the Pacers likely don't hold much chance to win two straight against the powerhouse. Even with him right now, in a state that seems to be far below 100 percent health, facing the historically good Thunder will be an increcibly tall task.