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Pacers Star Tyrese Haliburton Makes Guarantee Ahead NBA Finals Game 6

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 2:05 AM ET

The Indiana Pacers will return home on the brink of elimination, and they may be forced to stave off the end of what has been a magical season with one proverbial hand tied behind their collective back.

Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton played one of the worst playoff games of his life against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Monday night, June 16, in large part due to injuring his lower leg in the first quarter of the contest.

The Thunder went on to win the game 120-109, and while Haliburton played 34 minutes on the night, he was able to muster only four points, which tied a career postseason low. He also added seven rebounds and six assists, though the re-aggravation of the preexisting lower body injury clearly rendered him less than full-strength.

Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged as much during his postgame press conference.

"He's not 100%, it's pretty clear," Carlisle said. "We were concerned at halftime, but he insisted on playing."

Carlisle added that he believes his star player will be ready to go in Game 6 after nearly 70 hours of rehabilitation time between contests, a sentiment that Haliburton confirmed during his postgame interview.

Tyrese Haliburton injured his right calf in the second quarter of Game 5, but played through the injury as he was held to 4 PTS and 0 FG.

But with the Pacers on the brink of elimination, he isn't thinking about resting his leg. pic.twitter.com/dgYjLCTfYo
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 17, 2025

"If I can walk, then I wanna play," Haliburton said, per The Athletic. "Our backs are against the wall."

The Pacers won Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis by nine points and let Game 4 slip away after holding a 10-point lead late in the third quarter. In fairness, the Thunder let Game 1 at home slip through their fingers as well. So while each team has won a contest on the road in these NBA Finals, the home squad arguably should have been victorious in all five games.

Regardless, the result is the same -- with Oklahoma City up over Indiana 3-2 with Game 6 set for Indianapolis Thursday night. The Pacers must play better defensively, particularly with regards to the Thunder's stars, if they hope to force a Game 7. Jalen Williams finished Game 5 with 40 points, while league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 points and 10 assists.

Indiana's offense will also be important, as the team is now 14-7 in the playoffs. The Pacers have scored at least 111 points in all 14 of their postseason wins in 2025, while they have scored fewer than that total in all seven losses.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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