An injured Tyrese Haliburton was unable to save the Indiana Pacers from defeat in Oklahoma as the Thunder moved to within one win of the NBA title on Monday night.
In a loss which has left their championship hopes hanging by a thread, the Pacers superstar grabbed at his lower right leg after an awkward fall in the first quarter and briefly left Game 5 of the NBA Finals for treatment before he eventually returned.
While he clearly wasn’t right, Haliburton, 25, battled his way through 34 minutes at Paycom Center – largely playing the role of a facilitating decoy in the second half and hardly ever looking to shoot.
He finished with four points, all from the foul line, and the Pacers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-109 to fall behind 3-2 in the series.
Haliburton was scoreless at halftime for the first time in 36 career playoff games. He scored his first points on a pair of free throws with 7:07 left in the third quarter.
And now, the challenge of winning an NBA title gets even tougher for the Pacers. They’re down, and their quarterback is ailing.
An injured Tyrese Haliburton was unable to save the Indiana Pacers from defeat in Oklahoma
The Pacers superstar grabbed at his lower right leg after an awkward fall in the first quarter
For the first time in these playoffs, they are trailing in a series. It didn’t happen against Milwaukee in Round 1, against Cleveland in Round 2 or against New York in the Eastern Conference finals.
But Oklahoma City’s win in Game 5 marked the first time Indiana – which had won 10 consecutive games immediately following a loss coming into Monday – has dropped two straight games since mid-March.
It also makes the math very simple now: The Pacers must win Thursday at home to force a Game 7, then must win in Oklahoma City on Sunday night if they are going to capture an NBA title for the first time.
Haliburton played 10:04 of the first quarter Monday, then left for the locker room area and emerged with a wrap on his lower leg. He checked back into the game with 8:27 left in the first half.
The injury – whatever it is – has been an issue for much of the series. The Indiana guard was clearly limping after Game 2, then said before Game 3 that there wasn’t much to discuss.
‘I’m fine. Really just a lower leg thing. I’ll leave it at that,’ Haliburton said before Game 3. ‘I don´t think there’s anything more to elaborate.’
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle revealed earlier in the series that Haliburton has been experiencing some discomfort, though did not sound overly concerned.
The 25-year-old was scoreless at halftime for the first time in 36 career playoff games
He has started all five games in the series and had seven rebounds and six assists Monday – but missed all six of his shots.
Jalen Williams scored a career playoff-high 40 points and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 for the victorious Thunder.
It was the 10th – and by far, the biggest – time the Oklahoma City stars combined for more than 70 points in a game. Williams was 14 of 24 from the field, and Gilgeous-Alexander added 10 assists.
Pascal Siakam had 28 points and TJ McConnell added 18 for the Pacers, who whittled an 18-point deficit down to two in the fourth – then watched the Thunder pull away again, and for good.