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Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was the talk of the basketball world thanks to his late-game heroics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. In Game 2, however, the conversation was a little different.
The Thunder's stifling perimeter defense made life difficult for Haliburton early and often, causing him to become noticeably passive in the half-court during OKC's 123-107 win. It continued a trend that began in Game 1, though Haliburton's game-winner caused many to overlook what happened in most of that outing.
Haliburton's woes became a topic of discussion during the ABC broadcast, with color analyst Richard Jefferson maligning a lack of aggression on the offensive end. By the game's end, Haliburton was able to help his stat line with some empty calories in the fourth, but those buckets came far too late.
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Here's more on Haliburton's performance in Game 2, and how he was stymied by Oklahoma City's fearsome defensive unit.
Tyrese Haliburton Game 2 stats vs. Thunder
- Minutes: 34
- Points: 17
- Rebounds: 3
- Assists: 6
- Steals: 2
- Turnovers: 5
- Fouls: 1
- FG: 7-13 (53.8%)
- 3FG: 3-8 (37.5%)
- FT: 0-0
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Haliburton finished the game with 17 points, but 12 came in the fourth quarter. Notably, Indiana entered the fourth quarter trailing by 19 points, and most of Haliburton's scoring came when the game was out of reach.
When it was closer, however, Oklahoma City's All-Defensive ace Luguentz Dort was the one who made life most difficult for Haliburton. Through the first three quarters, Haliburton had five points on 2-of-7 shooting. His four assists to three turnovers through three quarters were also uncharacteristic.
During All-Star Jalen Williams' interview ahead of the fourth quarter, he kept things simple, saying "Lu Dort" was the reason for Haliburton's struggles.
And while Dort deserves the majority of the credit, it was a team effort. Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and even Chet Holmgren took turns showing up to make things difficult for Haliburton.
Late in the first quarter, Haliburton appeared out of sorts with a careless backcourt violation while being guarded by Caruso.
— Lawrence Owen (@Colts_Law) June 9, 2025Midway through the second, Holmgren switched onto Haliburton and forced a turnover as the Indiana offense broke down, preventing a kick out to Ben Sheppard.
First, great defense from Chet on Haliburton. Second, Sheppard has to lift up, give a passing angle. pic.twitter.com/rv88GtQucn
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) June 9, 2025The above two plays exemplify the defensive looks that Haliburton saw, both of which resulted in passiveness through the first three quarters of the game. Haliburton's seven field goal attempts were far too few for Indiana's offense to hum as it should, and it is something he will need to correct as the series shifts to Indiana.
This postseason, the Pacers have posted a 13-5 record — they're 8-1 when Haliburton scores 18 or more points, and in Game 2, fell to 5-4 when he comes up short of the 18-point mark.
That number will be one to monitor in Wednesday's Game 3.
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