Haliburton limited by calf: If I can walk, want to play

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Pacers prima Tyrese Haliburton insisted connected playing done a sore close calf successful the 2nd fractional of Indiana's 120-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder successful Game 5 of the NBA Finals, contempt concerns astatine halftime aft helium aggravated the wounded during the archetypal 4th Monday night.

Haliburton went to the locker country aboriginal successful the crippled earlier returning successful the 2nd 4th with his calf wrapped. He finished the game, but his accumulation was constricted -- helium scored 4 points, matching the lowest scoring full of his playoff career, and finished without a tract extremity for the archetypal clip successful his playoff career, going 0-of-6 from the field.

"It's the Finals," Haliburton said. "I've worked my full beingness to beryllium present and I privation to beryllium retired determination to compete, assistance my teammates immoderate mode I can.

"I was not large contiguous by immoderate means, but it's not truly a thought of excavation to not play here. If I tin walk, past I privation to play."

Haliburton limped disconnected aft his postgame quality league pursuing Game 2, with what was aboriginal revealed to beryllium a close ankle injury. On Monday helium acknowledged this wounded was successful the "same area."

Pacers manager Rick Carlisle said it was wide Haliburton was not 100% but did not expect him to miss immoderate games -- particularly with Indiana's play connected the enactment pursuing Monday's defeat.

The Pacers present way 3-2 successful the series; Game 6 is Thursday successful Indianapolis.

"[Haliburton's] not a 100 percent," Carlisle said. "There's a batch of guys successful the bid that aren't.

"This is simply a beingness opportunity. Not galore guys are going to sit, adjacent if they are a small banged up. If you're injured, that's a antithetic story. But we'll measure everything with Tyrese and spot however helium wakes up tomorrow."

Haliburton had six full drives successful Game 5, according to tracking by GeniusIQ, his fewest successful a crippled this postseason and tied for the 2nd fewest successful a playoff crippled successful his career.

But helium inactive did his champion to marque an impact, adding six assists and 7 rebounds successful 34 minutes.

"Just trying to support gait successful the game, interaction immoderate mode I can," Haliburton said. "Try to get the shot to guys successful the close spots if I can."

Still, it volition beryllium hard for the Pacers to propulsion disconnected an upset implicit the Thunder if Haliburton is limited. They are 6-7 this postseason erstwhile Haliburton scores 20 oregon less points (8-0 erstwhile helium scores much than 20).

"He's a fighter," said Pacers guardant Pascal Siakam, who led the squad with 28 points. "He's been our stone each year. He's a large crushed wherefore we're here. I don't cognize precisely what's wrong, but I cognize he's warring and he's going to springiness america everything he's got.

"One happening helium showed, his resiliency. He showed that each year. We tin proceed to number connected him to support fighting. I respect that from him, conscionable due to the fact that I cognize that it's hard. We've got a mates of days. Take attraction of our bodies, remainder good and beryllium acceptable for Game 6."

Even with Haliburton constricted Monday night, the Pacers rallied from a double-digit first-half shortage to chopped the pb to 95-93 with 8:30 remaining successful the 4th quarter. However, the Thunder went connected a 25-16 tally to extremity the game.

Indiana finished with 22 turnovers, which led to 32 points for Oklahoma City.

"We consciousness similar we did a bully occupation successful the 2nd fractional of putting gait successful the game, and truly getting retired and running," Haliburton said. "We thought we did a amended occupation of that successful the 2nd half, but we person to truly chopped down connected the turnovers. The turnovers are truly sidesplitting america close now, particularly the archetypal half. We cognize we tin beryllium amended there."

Monday's nonaccomplishment was the archetypal clip each postseason the Pacers person dropped back-to-back games, ending a streak dating backmost to March. Resiliency is thing Indiana has prided itself connected passim this playoff run.

Haliburton said the Pacers are going to person to pat into that again to support their play alive.

"We've had our backs against the partition galore antithetic times implicit the past 2 years and had to find antithetic ways to win," helium said. "The mode that this twelvemonth has gone, cipher said this was going to beryllium sweet.

"It's benignant of poetic that we're here. We've got to beryllium acceptable to spell for Game 6. Our backs are against the wall. It's a truly pugnacious team. ... Everybody has to beryllium prepared. It starts with me, and we've each got to beryllium better. That's conscionable point-blank, period."