Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton left Game 7 of the NBA Finals in the first quarter with a right leg injury.
During the second quarter, the Pacers shared that Haliburton would not be coming back to the game, citing “a lower right leg injury” as the reason. According to Haliburton’s father, who spoke to ABC’s Lisa Salters, Haliburton had actually suffered an Achilles injury.
Indiana lost the game 103-91, posting its lowest scoring total of the playoffs with Haliburton missing the majority of the contest.
While dribbling after receiving a pass near the top of the key, Haliburton suddenly fell to the floor, losing control of the ball. In pain, he repeatedly hit the court before a timeout was called.
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He was taken off the floor with the help of teammates without putting any pressure on his right leg.
Haliburton was off to a hot start before the injury. He scored nine points in seven minutes, shooting 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
Heading into Sunday’s game, Haliburton had been essential for Indiana, with averages of 17.7 points, 9 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game across 22 playoff matches. His leadership has been crucial to the Pacers’ postseason achievements, sparking several comebacks throughout the four rounds.
In Game 1 of the Finals, he hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left.
Haliburton had been playing through the last two games of the series with a right calf strain. He was observed limping earlier in the series, then appeared to aggravate the calf in Game 5.
“I’m pretty much in the same standpoint I was before Game 6,” Haliburton said the day before Game 7. “A little stiff, a little sore, rather. Good thing I only had to play, like, 23 minutes. I’ve been able to get even more treatment and do more things. Just trying to take care of it the best I can.”
After Game 6, which the Pacers won 108-91 to avoid elimination, Haliburton said that as long as he could walk, he would play.
“I just look at it as I want to be out there to compete with my brothers. These are guys that I’m willing to go to war with, and we’ve had such a special year, and we have a special bond as a group, and you know, I think I’d beat myself up if I didn’t give it a chance,” Haliburton said.
“I just want to be out there and fight and just had to have an honest conversation with Coach that, you know, if I didn’t look like myself and was hurting the team, like, sit me down. Obviously, I want to be on the floor. But I want to win more than anything.”
