INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton will play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, coach Rick Carlisle announced.
Haliburton had been a game-time decision after he strained his right calf in Game 5, but the team put him through a strength test during a team walkthrough a few hours before the game, which Carlisle said he came through well.
“There’s no set minutes limit,” Carlisle said prior to the game. “We will watch and monitor things very closely from the beginning of the game through the entirety of the game and we’ll go from there.”
The Pacers are trailing the series 3-2 trying to force a Game 7, which would be Sunday night in Oklahoma City. Haliburton had stated he wanted to do “everything in his power” to play in Thursday’s must-win game, which included a wide-range of treatments – hyperbaric chambers, needles, massage, electronic stimulation, special tape — to help his strained right calf, a diagnosis that was confirmed by an MRI exam Tuesday.
He had been dealing with a lower right leg injury throughout the series, but the calf strain worsened in Game 5 although he remained in the game to play 34 minutes. However, Haliburton did not score a field goal and tied a playoff career low with four points as Indiana dropped the game.
Haliburton is averaging 15.0 points, 7.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds on 45% shooting through the first five games of the series.
“We got a job to do tonight,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to get ready to battle a team that has been the best team in the league all year long. It’s a tough game. It’s an elimination game. There’s a lot going on.”