UPDATE: Haliburton will play Thursday.
Rick Carlisle said that there will be no minutes restrictions but that Haliburton will be monitored.
UPDATE: Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton confirmed his calf strain on Wednesday afternoon. He also stated “I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play.”
The Pacers lost Game 5 of the NBA Finals to the Thunder on Monday and Tyrese Haliburton appeared to suffer a lower leg injury during the contest. While the guard was able log 34 minutes, the injury clearly effected him, as Haliuburton only scored four points and he finished a -13 in plus/minus, which was the second-worst mark for Indiana. Now, ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting Tuesday that Haliburton is believed to have suffered a strained right calf and he will undergo an MRI to determine how severe the injury is.
With the Pacers trailing 3-2 in these NBA Finals vs. the Thunder, and facing elimination in Thursday’s Game 6 at home, one has to believe Haliburton will at least attempt to play if the MRI doesn’t show a significant strain. Following the Game 5 loss, Haliburton told the media “If I can walk, then I want to play” when asked about his injury. That being said, Haliburton is Indiana’s franchise player and the organization could hold him out to avoid any further damage, even with so much at stake for the team in Game 6.
Tyrese Haliburton has been superb during these NBA playoffs, averaging 17.9 points, 9.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. The 25-year-old has made countless clutch plays for the Pacers in the team’s run to the NBA Finals, which is the first time the club has reached the NBA Finals since 2000.
If Haliburton is limited or out, Andrew Nembhard would see more work at point guard, along with T.J. McConnell. Bennedict Mathurin would also see elevated playing time and a large usage rate. With Haliburton off the floor this season, Mathurin leads the Pacers with a 27.1% usage rate, which is a 3.4 percentage point increase from his season average. Lastly, Pascal Siakam certainly would be asked to take on more responsibilities as a scorer if Haliburton is limited or inactive.
Following this news that Tyrese Haliburton is dealing with a strained calf, the Pacers have moved to a 6.5-point underdog for Thursday’s Game 6 on DraftKings Sportsbook, after opening as a 5.5-point underdog. Furthermore, Indiana has moved to a +1000 underdog to win the NBA Finals in the wake of this Haliburton injury news.
