Tyrese Haliburton injured his calf during Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals

The nightmare continued for Tyrese Haliburton during Game 5 of the NBA Finals 2025. Dealing with a calf injury, the Indiana Pacers point guard had a disastrous performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder, finishing the game without scoring a single basket in a 120-109 loss that puts his team on the brink of elimination.

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June 17, 2025

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Haliburton, clearly physically limited, ended the night with just 4 points on 0/6 shooting, including 0/4 from 3-point range. Despite his 7 rebounds and 6 assists, his 3 turnovers illustrated his struggles to play normally on the court. The Thunder now leads the series 3-2 and can win the title in Game 6 in Indianapolis.

A warrior who refuses to give up despite the pain

Forced to return to the locker room in the first quarter, Haliburton came back in the second quarter, although Indiana’s medical staff had considered ruling him out at halftime according to coach Rick Carlisle. « He’s not at 100%, that’s pretty clear. But I don’t think he’ll miss the next game. We were worried at halftime but he insisted on playing and he made some good plays in the second half, » said the Pacers coach.

Haliburton’s determination shows in his post-game comments: « This is the Finals. I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I wanted to be on the court, fighting. I wanted to help my teammates as much as I could. Even though I wasn’t good tonight, in any aspect. But I never really considered not playing. If I can walk, I think I’m able to play. »

Regarding his injury, the point guard specifies that it’s « in the same area » as the one that was already bothering him previously, suggesting a connection between the two physical issues. While initially an ankle injury was mentioned, it’s now the calf that seems to be problematic.

Despite the efforts of Pascal Siakam (28 points) and T.J. McConnell (18 points), the Pacers couldn’t contain the duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points, 10 assists) and Jalen Williams (40 points). Indiana will need to count on a physically improved Haliburton to hope to extend the series in the crucial Game 6 at home.

Tyrese Haliburton tonight:

4 points
0/6 FG
0/4 3PT
-13

(Via @realapp_)pic.twitter.com/oE6cpXiIcx

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral)June 17, 2025