Tyrese Haliburton Battles Through Injury in Pivotal Game 5 of NBA Finals
Tyrese Haliburton’s resilience was put on full display in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and if you're a Pacers fan—or just a fan of grit—this was a night that stood out. The Indiana Pacers faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a matchup that’s been nothing short of a rollercoaster, and Haliburton's night captured all the tension and drama this series has delivered.
Early in the game, things looked grim for Haliburton. During a drive to the basket in the first quarter, he appeared to tweak his lower right leg—a spot he's had trouble with throughout this Finals series. You could see it immediately: he was rubbing the area, limping slightly, and eventually made his way to the locker room. For a moment, it felt like the air was sucked out of the Pacers’ bench. This was their All-Star, their floor general, and the man they’d leaned on all season long.
But Tyrese Haliburton is built different. He reemerged midway through the second quarter, wearing a wrap on that leg, and even though he didn’t light up the scoreboard early on—he missed all five of his first-half shots and didn’t score until hitting a pair of free throws in the third quarter—it was the fact that he was out there that mattered. It was about presence, leadership, and trying to will his team through a hostile OKC crowd and the relentless Thunder defense.
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This wasn’t the box score night you’d expect from a star. Haliburton went 0-for-6 from the field at one point, including 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. But he kept moving, initiating offense, making smart reads, and playing through obvious discomfort. When you consider that the Pacers trailed by just 14 at halftime—even with Haliburton scoreless—it shows how much his on-court gravity still affected the game. Defenders couldn’t just ignore him. His mere presence gave Indiana some breathing room, even when he wasn’t hitting shots.
By the time the third quarter rolled around, the pressure had ramped up. The Thunder were riding the momentum of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s heroics—SGA scored 15 of his 35 in the fourth quarter of Game 4—and the crowd was electric. But Haliburton dug in, nailed his free throws to finally get on the board, and refused to quit.
This is what Finals basketball is all about. It’s not always pretty. It’s rarely perfect. But the fight? The grit? The decision to push through pain because your team needs you—that’s legacy stuff. Haliburton’s stat line won’t turn heads tomorrow, but his toughness might be the reason the Pacers still believe they have a shot in this series.
And let’s not forget, the Finals are tied 2-2. Every game is now a must-win. Game 6 is looming, and with Haliburton’s status a question mark and the Thunder playing high-tempo, suffocating basketball, the Pacers will need every ounce of fight they’ve got. If Tyrese Haliburton can walk, you better believe he’s going to suit up and lead again.
This series has already given us everything—blowouts, comebacks, drama, injuries. But most of all, it’s given us heart. And Haliburton, hurt but unshaken, is right at the center of it.
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