This is an injury that, typically, requires one or two weeks to heal, depending on severity.
His status was uncertain until around an hour-and-a-half before tip-off. He was coming off a game in which he scored only four points and didn’t make a single field goal.
Yet facing elimination in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, against a potent Oklahoma City Thunder team that led the league in regular-season victories, Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton labored through a right calf strain to will his team to a winner-take-all Game 7.
This was not a statistically dominant Haliburton performance. It was not even one during which he needed fourth quarter heroics – he sat the entire fourth quarter and half of the third.
But Haliburton’s sacrifice clearly permeated throughout Indiana’s roster Thursday, igniting his team in different ways. And if the Pacers do somehow claw back from a 3-2 series deficit to win their first NBA Finals title in franchise history, Haliburton, surely, will be the reason why.
‘He did amazing today,’ forward Obi Toppin said. ‘He led us to a win, and he’s a soldier. He’s not going to let no little injury hold him back from playing in the Finals and helping this team win. He has helped us get to this point, and he’s going to keep going until he can’t.’
Haliburton, despite the injury, did not appear to be in any visible discomfort. He did miss his first three shots and went just 1-of-5 in the first quarter. But he served his role as Indiana’s engine, pushing the pace up the floor and setting tempo. He led Indiana’s transition attack, destabilizing Oklahoma City’s defense before it could get set.
Haliburton finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting (41.7%), adding five assists and one rebound in nearly 23 minutes on the floor.
The Pacers doubled up the Thunder on fast-break points (22-11), but it was the way Indiana – and Haliburton – protected the ball that allowed the Pacers to strafe the Thunder with shots; one game after Indiana committed 23 turnovers, the Pacers gave it away just 11 times, with four of those coming in the fourth quarter after Thunder coach Mark Daigneault pulled his starters.
‘I want to be out there to compete with my brothers,’ Haliburton said. ‘These are guys that I’m willing to go to war with and we’ve had such a special year, and we have a special bond as a group, and I’d beat myself up if I didn’t give it a chance. I just want to be out there and fight.
‘Obviously, I want to be on the floor. But I want to win more than anything.’
At times this series, the Thunder defense forced Haliburton to play rushed and out of character. Thursday night, he was quick, but patient, calculated and exacting. He scanned the floor and made the right play. He even did it at times with a little flair, at one point stealing a pass, scooping it and firing a no-look pass to forward Pascal Siakam, who flushed home a poster dunk over Jalen Williams.
‘He’s a tough kid,’ Siakam said. ‘I had no doubt that he was going to be out there with us. It just shows he’s one of our leaders on the team and he’s doing everything he can to be out there for us, and we appreciate that.’
The toughest test, however, looms.
The Thunder have still not lost consecutive games in the 2025 postseason and are 17-2 this year, including the regular season, following a defeat. They play in a staggeringly difficult environment.
And, though he did not appear limited by the calf injury, Haliburton is still nursing an injury that can be complicated. He’ll likely need continued treatment and will have to work to get his body in shape to compete for the biggest game of his career.
Managing the calf will be a significant factor in how Haliburton plays Sunday.
‘It’s already written,’ Haliburton said. ‘We’ve worked our tails off to get here and we’ve just got to trust the work that we’ve put in. And, yeah man, I wouldn’t want to go to battle with any other guys. I’m really excited about it.’