Tyrese Haliburton was feeling the blues in the Pacers' 120-109 defeat to the Thunder in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Indiana's signal-caller authored up one of the worst scoring performances of his still burgeoning career on Monday, falling victim to a calf injury and a torrent of Oklahoma City defenders. His struggles loomed large on Rick Carlisle's bunch; with Haliburton serving as little more than a decoy, the Pacers fell behind by as many as 18.
Indiana stormed back, as it has been known to do throughout this year's postseason, but that felt in spite of Haliburton's offering, not because of it. The 25-year-old point guard wasn't able to produce much for himself or his teammates, and with his health a great unknown ahead of a do-or-die Game 6, alarm bells are ringing for Indiana's cadre of acolytes.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
With that, here's what you need to know about Haliburton's rancid showing at Paycom Center on Monday night.
Tyrese Haliburton stats Game 5 vs. Thunder
Final score: Thunder 120, Pacers 109
- Minutes: 34
- Points: 4
- Rebounds: 7
- Assists: 6
- Steals: 0
- Blocks: 0
- TOs: 3
- Fouls: 3
- FG: 0-6
- 3FG: 0-4
- FT: 4-4
Haliburton toiled in Indiana's defeat, looking far from the ebullient talent that thrashed Oklahoma City — and a handful of other opponents — in this year's postseason. The Pacers talisman was held to just four points on Monday night. All four came at the free throw line. In other words, Haliburton was left without a field goal for just the seventh time in his career.
Scoring has never been Haliburton's calling card. He's efficient, to be sure — he posted a 61.6 true shooting percentage in 2024-25, four percent above the league average. For comparison, Jalen Brunson's true shooting percentage sat at 60.6%.
Still, Haliburton comes to life when he's whipping no-look passes to open teammates. Passing lanes emerge when his shot is falling, though.
With just six shot attempts — four coming from outside the arc — Haliburton was a passenger on the offensive side of the ball for much of the night. His numbers tell the tale of a man unable to create much space and shake when matched up against All-Defensive-caliber talents like Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and, on occasion, Chet Holmgren.
The film shares similar sentiments. Not only was Haliburton unable to find crevices for his own shot, but his play-making also suffered. He fell way short of the 9.3 assists he's averaged in postseason play, tallying seven dimes to three turnovers on Monday night.
Pacers go to Stack P&R action and watch the defense from Alex Caruso. Takes the switch and takes the action away. OKC working to switch and take drives away. pic.twitter.com/Apx5xm0GAG
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) June 17, 2025OKC switching a lot of actions, Indiana tries to flow to putting Hartenstein in action. At the level, two on the ball, weakside in to help. Defense has stayed active. pic.twitter.com/3uB1aQJve4
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) June 17, 2025Haliburton wasn't able to find a rhythm against Oklahoma City. Its gaggle of stout defensive talents certainly played a role. So, too, did his health. The Indiana standout limped off the floor after landing on the floor while attempting to slip past Holmgren early in the first quarter.
Haliburton eventually returned to the contest after a brief spell on the sideline. His calf was cloaked in a mix of ice and gauze, but he didn't look quite as mobile as he's been throughout this series once he returned to action. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Haliburton was dealing with "right calf soreness." Haliburton favored his right leg at the end of Game 2, Charania revealed, although that was related to an ankle ailment.
“We were concerned at halftime, and he insisted on playing,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I thought he made a lot of really good things happen in the second half. But he’s not 100%. There’s a lot of guys in the series that aren’t.”
Haliburton was honest about the nature of his performance on Monday night, telling reporters he "was not great by any means."
Still, he left nothing for interpretation when asked whether his malady would jeopardize his status for Game 6.
“It’s the finals, man,” Haliburton said. “I’ve worked my whole life to be here, and I want to be able to compete, help my teammates any way I can. ... It’s not really a thought of mine to not play here.”
Tyrese on playing through pain:
"I mean it's the NBA Finals. I've worked my whole life to be here. It's not really a thought of mine to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play" pic.twitter.com/O78PHJqRvo