- Tyrese Haliburton suffered a lower leg injury, suspected to be an Achilles injury, during Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
- Haliburton’s injury occurred in the first quarter, forcing him out of the game, which the Pacers ultimately lost.
- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle declined to comment on the specifics of the injury after the game.
- Haliburton was seen on crutches post-game but Carlisle expressed confidence in his full recovery.
Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton fell to the court in pain during the first quarter of the 103-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, June 22, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Haliburton had been playing through a right calf injury, but his prognosis became worse when ESPN’s Lisa Salters reported Haliburton had suffered an Achilles injury on the play that ended his season.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle could not confirm a diagnosis for Haliburton during his postgame press conference in Oklahoma City. But he did give some insight into his reaction to the injury.
“I’m not talking about his injury,” Carlisle said. “I’m not giving you — I have no idea. I haven’t heard anything about a diagnosis or anything.”
What Rick Carlisle said about Tyrese Haliburton postgame
“What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped,” Carlisle said. “He will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he’ll be back in time, and I believe he’ll make a full recovery.”
Haliburton interacted with the team in the locker room at halftime and was praised by Carlisle after the game.
“He authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play,” Carlisle said. “It was just something that no one’s ever seen and did it as 1 of 17. You know, that’s the beautiful thing about him. As great a player as he is, it’s always a team thing.”
Haliburton was the Pacers’ spark plug throughout the NBA playoffs, dazzling with a bevy of clutch shots, skillful scoring and late-game heroics.
Haliburton averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds in 22 postseason games this season. He had nine points when he exited in the first quarter — all on 3-pointers — and his absence was felt as the Thunder pulled away in the third quarter to erase the 48-47 Pacers lead at halftime.