Tyrese

Haliburton

Carlisle said that Haliburton went through strength testing and did “very well.” He also mentioned that there won’t be a minutes restriction, but they will monitor Haliburton closely. Trips to the NBA Finals don’t come around often, so it isn’t surprising that Haliburton will play through the injury. We’ll see if Haliburton’s presence, along with the home crowd, is enough to force a Game 7.

Haliburton is currently listed as questionable with a right calf strain. The 25-year-old point guard participated in practice on Wednesday and is expected to go through walkthrough ahead of Game 6 on Thursday. Shams said he was told Haliburton would miss multiple weeks if this were the regular season, but this game carries paramount importance as the Pacers are facing elimination in Game 6. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said earlier this week Haliburton would probably be a game-time decision.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said during his availability that Haliburton would be questionable for Game 6, so the official designation is unsurprising. The star point guard suffered a strained right calf during the first half of Monday’s Game 5 defeat. While Haliburton did his best to play through the injury, he lacked his usual burst and spent most of his time lingering on the perimeter. Even if Haliburton can play on Thursday, the Pacers will need more production from backup T.J. McConnell, who played well on Monday.

Haliburton downplayed the severity of the injury that was noticeably bothering him in Game 5 by saying that, because it’s the NBA Finals, if he can walk, he’ll play. Well, if he does half a strained calf, that could certainly keep him from walking. If there is any chance of Haliburton playing, he’ll do it, but this an MRI isn’t an optimistic update. Hopefully Charania’s next report will have better news, but as of now, Indiana may have turn to T.J. McConnell for more minutes off the bench, with Andrew Nembhard sliding over to point guard in the starting unit.

Having injured his right ankle during Game 2, Haliburton suffered another right leg injury during Game 5. He appeared to injure his right calf on a drive to the basket during the first half and was a shell of himself for the rest of the night. And with Andrew Nembhard (7/3/3/1 with four turnovers) struggling to do much offensively, that was too much for the Pacers to overcome. Indiana did manage to pull to within two points during the fourth quarter, but they would turn the ball over on four consecutive possessions as Oklahoma City pulled away. With Game 6 scheduled for Thursday night, Indiana’s trainers are going to earn their keep as they look to get Haliburton as healthy as possible.

While Haliburton had a good night inside the arc in Game 4, making six of his eight attempts, he was 1-of-7 from deep. Add in five turnovers, and this performance was far from the norm for the Pacers’ point guard. Haliburton’s assist-to-turnover ratio has been an excellent indicator of how the games have gone. In Indiana’s two victories, he’s tallied 17 assists and seven turnovers. In the two defeats, 13 assists and 10 turnovers. Obviously, the Pacers need Haliburton to be at his best if they’re to win the franchise’s first NBA title. Game 5 is on Monday, with the series tied at two games apiece.

Haliburton became the fifth player in NBA Finals history to have at least 20 points, at least 10 assists and zero free throw attempts. The 25-year-old point guard also became the first player in NBA history with nine games of at least 10 assists and two made three-pointers in a single playoff run. Haliburton had only six and three points in the first halves of the first two games of this series, but was excellent in the first half of Game 3 with 12 points and seven assists. His play is a big reason the Pacers find themselves just two wins away from winning the NBA Finals.

Haliburton sported a notable limp following Sunday’s Game 2 loss, but he should face no restrictions in a pivotal Game 3. He scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2, and he emphasized his need to be more aggressive on offense early in the game. Expect him to make a concerted effort to score early and often on Wednesday.

Haliburton was seen limping after Game 2, but he downplayed the severity of it. “I’m fine,” Haliburton said. “Really just a lower leg thing. I’ll leave it at that. I feel fine, and I’ll be ready to go for Game 3.” After being the hero in Game 1, Haliburton was solid in Game 2, but it wasn’t enough for the Pacers to steal another game on the road. Still, the series is tied 1-1, and the Pacers have homecourt advantage for the rest of the series. We’ll see if Haliburton has more magic up his sleeve on Wednesday.

While Haliburton shot over 50 percent from the field, Game 2 was far from his best effort. The Pacers’ star point guard finished with five turnovers, the most in a game for him since Game 4 of Indiana’s first-round series against Milwaukee. High-turnover nights have not been the norm for Haliburton, so there should not be much to worry about for Wednesday’s Game 3 in Indianapolis. Given how well he’s played throughout the postseason, it would be unsurprising if Haliburton rebounded in style Wednesday night.