The Indiana Pacers came up with a 109-120 loss in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As bad as the situation is, greater concerns emerge as Tyrese Haliburton potentially suffered an injury in the first quarter of the game. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle addressed these concerns during his postgame press conference and said:
“He’s not at 100%. That’s pretty clear. But I don’t think he’s going to miss the next game. We were concerned at halftime, and he insisted on playing. I thought he made a lot of really good things happen in the second half, but he’s not 100%. There’s a lot of guys in this series that aren’t.”
Carlisle’s comments will allow Pacers fans to breathe a sigh of relief, a mild respite given the current situation their team is in.
Tyrese Haliburton is the engine for the Indiana Pacers. Taking up the role of the primary facilitator, the team’s offense is heavily reliant upon Haliburton’s presence on the court.
The Pacers guard supposedly sustained an injury while being guarded by Thunder big man Chet Holmgren on the perimeter. In an attempt to blow past Holmgren, Haliburton is said to have strained his calf, leading to his eventual exit from the game.
Biggest CONCERN with the Indiana Pacers moving forward
The HEALTH of Tyrese Haliburton’s calf
He went 0-6 tonight and didn’t have any of his burst to get past OKC defenders
This is the play he aggravated his “lower leg” injury pic.twitter.com/NqHE0Yj6Xl
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) June 17, 2025
Although Carlisle commends the young star for his contributions in the second half, despite being injured, the overall contributions made by him are quite disappointing.
Haliburton notched one of his poorest performances of the postseason, especially considering what was at stake. With four points, seven rebounds, and six assists to his name, the Pacers guard struggled, going 0-6 from the field and 0-4 from the three-point line.
The star’s injury certainly played a role in affecting his performance in the game. But the same cannot be said for the rest of the rotation. Barring the ECF MVP, Pascal Siakam, who had 28 points on the night, the rest of Indiana’s roster was quite underwhelming.
Aaron Nesmith came up with only 14 points and six rebounds, while Andrew Nembhard dropped seven points, three rebounds, and three assists. Even the Pacers’ defensive anchor, Myles Turner, was borderline ordinary with 13 points and six rebounds.
The team’s highest scorer behind Siakam was Pacers’ veteran TJ McConnell, who stepped up to the occasion and helped the team cut through the deficit in the third quarter. He had 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals on the night.
The Pacers looked unlike themselves on Monday night, and this is not a good sign at this juncture. With the series headed back to Indiana, the team will find themselves in an elimination situation, as Charles Barkley predicted after Game 4. Although the pressure is immense, the Pacers will look to fight another day by securing a win on Thursday at 8:30 pm ET.
