Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton will reportedly undergo an MRI on the strained right calf that bothered him during Monday’s Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the ongoing NBA Finals.
ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting the MRI will be used to determine the severity of the strain. Daily Mail has reached out to Pacers spokespeople for confirmation.
Haliburton appeared to injure his lower right leg in the first quarter of Game 5 in Oklahoma City and although he remained in the game, he never looked comfortable against the Thunder backcourt.
In the end, he logged 34 minutes, but was held scoreless at halftime for the first time in 36 career playoff games and didn’t register his first points until midway through the third. He’d finish with just four points on 0-for-6 shooting in the 120-109 loss.
Indiana currently trails Oklahoma City, 3-2, with the series heading back to Indianapolis on Thursday night.
‘If I can walk, then I want to play,’ Haliburton said after Monday’s loss.
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton will reportedly undergo an MRI on a strained right calf
This year’s NBA Finals has more built-in rest, which is a good thing for Indiana as the Eastern Conference champs hope to stave off elimination on Thursday night.
‘The Finals, the NBA Finals, is one of the great stages in all of sports,’ Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters Tuesday in Indianapolis.
‘And so, it shouldn’t happen quickly and abruptly. It should happen at the right pace and the right tempo, and the space in between games does help player health. That’s a very important aspect of it.’
Better yet, there will be two more off days for the Pacers and Thunder if Indianapolis can push the series to an all-important seventh game with a win on Thursday. And as much as the Thunder would like to finish their rivals in Indianapolis, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault remains thankful for that extra rest.
‘We recover,’ Daigneault told reporters. ‘The finals are great because you get extra time in between the games. I think that’s huge in terms of rest and recovery at this time of the year.
‘I think it’s good for the product. I think it’s a good thing and by the time the ball goes up in the air, everybody is going to be ready to play and everybody is going to be excited.’
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