Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton left Game 7 of the NBA Finals in the first quarter with a right leg injury.
The Pacers announced during the second quarter that Haliburton would not return with what they called “a lower right leg injury,” per the ABC broadcast.
After receiving a pass near the top of the key, Haliburton began to dribble before collapsing to the ground as he lost control of the ball. Haliburton repeatedly slammed the court in agony before a timeout.
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He was then taken off the floor with the help of teammates without putting any pressure on his right leg.
Haliburton was off to a hot start in the game before his injury. He scored nine points in seven minutes, shooting 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
In Indiana’s 22 playoff games entering Sunday, Haliburton was averaging 17.7 points, 9.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. He has been a major catalyst for the Pacers’ postseason success, spearheading multiple comebacks through the four rounds.
In Game 1 of the finals, Haliburton hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left.
Haliburton had been playing through the last two games of the series with a right calf strain. He had been observed limping earlier in the series, then appeared to aggravate the calf in Game 5.
“I’m pretty much in the same standpoint I was before Game 6,” Haliburton said the day before Game 7. “A little stiff, a little sore, rather. Good thing I only had to play like 23 minutes. I’ve been able to get even more treatment and do more things. Just trying to take care of it the best I can.”
After Game 6, which the Pacers won 108-91 to avoid elimination, Haliburton said as long as he could walk, he would play.
“I just look at it as I want to be out there to compete with my brothers. These are guys that I’m willing to go to war with and we’ve had such a special year, and we have a special bond as a group, and you know, I think I’d beat myself up if I didn’t give it a chance,” Haliburton said.
“I just want to be out there and fight and just had to have an honest conversation with Coach that, you know, if I didn’t look like myself and was hurting the team, like sit me down. Obviously, I want to be on the floor. But I want to win more than anything.”