It is believed that Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a right calf strain in the team’s 120-109 Game Five loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to sources that spoke to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Haliburton will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury and if he will be available for Game Six, which is scheduled for Thursday night.

“This is the same leg that he had ankle soreness in last week,” Charania said during a June 17th edition of NBA Today. “It was described to me today that if this was the regular season or even the first round, there’s doubt that he would play. Once the Pacers and Haliburton get the results back on this MRI, on that calf strain, they’re going to be able to identify the severity and then huddle and map out exactly what the plan will be going into Game Six.”

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is believed to have suffered a strained right calf and will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the strain, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/4FTIoB1RVU

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 17, 2025

While speaking to members of the media after the loss, Haliburton said, “If I can walk, then I want to play.”

Tyrese Haliburton had a historically bad performance in Game Five of the NBA Finals. Despite recording six assists and seven rebounds, he finished the game with only four points while going 0-6 from the field.

Disaster or a blessing in disguise?

If this were any other team’s starting point guard, this would be an unmitigated disaster. Could you imagine if the roles were reversed, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were at risk of missing games in the NBA Finals? If that were the case, then Indiana would’ve already won the Larry O’Brien Trophy. However, Tyrese Haliburton has clearly been hampered by this injury for several days now, and his inability to play up to his full potential while injured has hurt the Pacers.

In this series, Haliburton has only averaged 15 points and 7.2 assists per game, well below his 2025 playoff averages (17.9 points and 9.1 assists). On top of that, his numbers have gotten worse and worse over the last three games. In Game Three, he had 22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds. In Game Four, he was held to 18 points, seven assists, and two rebounds. That brings us to last night, where he finished with a stat line of four points on zero made field goals, six assists, and seven rebounds. As the series has gone on, and he has put more strain on his leg, his performance has gotten worse.

Tyrese Haliburton injured his right leg and went back to the locker room after this play.

He came back and returned to the game in the 2nd quarter. pic.twitter.com/ZDl9Z3oJ2D

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 17, 2025

Meanwhile, Haliburton’s backups have actually been able to step up at critical moments and keep the Pacers in the series. Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell have provided valuable minutes off the bench, combining for 21.2 points per game so far this series. McConnell played particularly well last night in relief of Haliburton, making 57.1% of his shots on his way to an 18-point, four-assist, four-rebound performance.

I’m not saying the Pacers are a better team without Tyrese Haliburton. But it’s clear that they play better as a group when Haliburton is fully healthy or at least somewhat close to full health. If this calf strain is serious, then the Pacers might be better served resting Haliburton and going into Game Six with two fully healthy rotational point guards rather than one incredibly banged-up All-Star.

Is the Pacers’ time up?

There is no doubt that losing Tyrese Haliburton for the remainder of the NBA Finals would be a huge blow to Indiana’s championship hopes. But I am not willing to give up on them just yet.

This is a team that simply refuses to die. They have found a way, time and time again, to win games and win series that they have no business competing in. Missing Tyrese Haliburton hurts their chances, but they’re still only two victories away from a championship. And as long as they don’t allow Jalen Williams to score 40 points per game, then I think they have a shot to pull off the upset, at least in Game Six.

THE THUNDER HOLD OFF THE PACERS IN GAME 5 😮

OKC is ONE WIN AWAY from being NBA champs 🔥 pic.twitter.com/T22XIdwwDS

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 17, 2025

The speculation around this team is just giving them more bulletin board material to work with. The Pacers hear all the NBA analysts and media members saying that the series is over without Tyrese Haliburton. That type of disrespect will fuel the fire within Indiana’s locker room. On top of that, Game Six is being played in Indianapolis, where the Pacers have a 7-3 record this postseason. If Indy were ever to shock the world, Game Six would be the perfect time.

Don’t get it confused. I think the Thunder will almost certainly win this series now, especially if Tyrese Haliburton is unable to play in Game Six or Game Seven. However, I want it to be known that the Pacers still have a good shot to pull off a shocking upset at home on Thursday, even if Haliburton is unavailable. If this series returns to Oklahoma City, I believe the Thunder will win the NBA Championship, regardless of Tyrese Haliburton’s availability.

That’s probably not how this whole thing will play out. I think Haliburton’s MRI results will come back okay, and he will be cleared to play in Game Six. However, he will once again underperform due to the limitations brought on by his calf injury, and the Oklahoma City Thunder will win the NBA Championship on Thursday.