The Pacers Tough Road to Redemption: Overcoming Tyrese Haliburtons Injury and Defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals

In a thrilling Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers found themselves trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder by 18 points late in the first half. Despite the clear disadvantage, the Pacers refused to give up, with Tyrese Haliburton orchestrating a 11-3 run to bring Indiana within one bucket at 95-93 with 8:30 remaining. However, Haliburton was clearly hampered by a right calf issue that he aggravated after slipping on a drive to the basket midway through the first quarter. Despite his limitations, he still managed to set up the offense effectively enough to give the Pacers a chance. The Thunder’s league-leading defense proved too much for Indiana to handle, as Oklahoma City snared four straight steals leading to eight straight points to double their advantage and put the game out of reach. The Thunder ultimately put the finishing touches on a 120-109 victory to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Pascal Siakam, who scored 18 of his team-high 28 points in the second half, acknowledged that the Pacers’ 23 turnovers for 32 points were the difference in the game. “We gotta do a heck of a lot better there,” he said. T.J. McConnell provided a spark off the bench for Indiana, scoring 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the third quarter and assisting on five more to turn a 15-point deficit into a two-possession game heading into the closing seconds of the frame. However, fatigue set in for McConnell early in the fourth quarter, and coach Rick Carlisle opted to stick with his starting backcourt of Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard, even with Haliburton hobbled and Nembhard struggling to command the offense. Haliburton finished with four points on 0-for-6 shooting but added seven rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes. He said he doesn’t know if the injury he tried to work through on Monday was related to an earlier “lower leg thing” that ailed him earlier in the series, but acknowledged that the issue is in “the same area.” Even though it limited him, he said he never seriously considered not getting back on the court. “I mean, it's the NBA Finals,” he said. “It's the Finals, man. I've worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete. Help my teammates any way I can.” The Pacers will have two days to analyze every second of Game 5 before they reconvene for Game 6 on Thursday. They’ll break down what worked in Monday’s second half and see what, if any of it, might be replicable come next game.