Against the Thunder in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers lost 120-109. They’re down 3-2 to Oklahoma City heading into Game 6 on Thursday evening.
During their loss on Monday night, Pacers’ all-star PG Tyrese Haliburton had an abysmal offensive performance. He was 0-6 from the field and finished with four points. Following the loss in Game 5, it was announced that Haliburton is dealing with a calf injury. It’s still unknown if the 25-year-old will be available in Game 6. Do the Indiana Pacers have any chance of winning on Thursday night without Haliburton if he’s unavailable?
Tyrese Haliburton’s status for Game 6 is in question due to a calf injury
Biggest Concern with Tyrese Haliburton playing through a “Calf strain”
Calf Strain->Weak Calf=Achilles Risk pic.twitter.com/arDefHbOtf
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) June 17, 2025
The Indiana Pacers will have their backs against the wall on Thursday night. Oklahoma City has a 3-2 series lead, and they want to close it out in Game 6. It’s been a magical run for the Pacers in the 2025 playoffs. Despite making the conference finals last season, nobody picked the Pacers to make it again in 2025. Let alone make the NBA Finals and contend with a team like the Thunder. Indiana has an elimination game on Thursday evening.
If they lose, the Thunder win the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers desperately need a win to force Game 7 this Sunday. With 9:24 left in the second quarter of Game 5, Pacers Tyrese Haliburton suffered a right calf strain. Dr. Evan Jeffries explained why he believes Haliburton has dealt with this injury since Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Jeffries explained how the Pacers initially ruled his injury as an ankle injury. However, Jeffries thought the injury was related more to Haliburton’s calf.
Tyrese Haliburton on his calf injury heading into Game 6:
“It’s the Finals, I worked my whole life to get here… If I can walk, I can play.”
(via @TonyREast) pic.twitter.com/y9LyEYFg5q
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 17, 2025
NBA insider Shams Charania said Tyrese Haliburton had an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. After losing in Game 5, Haliburton told the media, “If I can walk, I can play.” We’ll have to wait and see if Indiana feels the same way. With a weak calf muscle comes the risk of injuring the Achilles. That’s the last thing the Pacers need at this point in the season. If Haliburton is unavailable, do the Pacers have a chance to win?
Head coach Rick Carlisle would have to tweak Indiana’s starting lineup if Haliburton were unavailable. T.J. McConnell is the backup PG, but he’s more valuable off the bench for the Pacers. Bennedict Mathurin or Ben Sheppard could be inserted into the starting lineup. Pascal Siakam would shoulder the scoring load for Indiana. He would need to have one of the best playoff games in his career to beat the Thunder without Tyrese Haliburton. Game 6 is Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST.