On Monday, Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers couldn’t overcome the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals. They had a 120-109 defeat, behind Jalen Williams’ 40 points, six rebounds and four assists on 60 percent shooting from deep. The Pacers couldn’t get it going and their best player, Haliburton, failed to show up during one of the most crucial games of the year.
The 6-foot-5 guard had four points, seven rebounds and six assists on 0-for-6 shooting from the field. One of the main factors for his disappointing offensive performance was because of the leg injury he sustained. Haliburton suffered from an apparent leg injury but still played 34 minutes of action.
Tyrese Haliburton tonight:
4 points
0/6 FG
0/4 3PT
-13(Via @realapp_ ) pic.twitter.com/oE6cpXiIcx
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 17, 2025
Collectively, the Pacers didn’t have the best night as they turned the ball over 22 times and only had nine steals against the Thunder.
After the contest, fans on social media revealed their thoughts on Haliburton’s upsetting display.
“He will never EVER be a superstar,” a fan said.
“Superstars try to shoot. This guy was a lost puppy tonight,” another fan commented.
“and pacers fans swore to us he was a top ten player 😭” one fan said.
and pacers fans swore to us he was a top ten player 😭
— 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢 | 🕊️ (@positionsmafiaa) June 17, 2025
“TJ should have played the 4th quarter”
“all that superstar talk and bro couldn’t live up to it😂😂”
“People tried telling me he clears Fox”
“Rough night. Gotta shoot more”
Rough night. Gotta shoot more
— Mikey CoinSnatch (@MikeyCoinSnatch) June 17, 2025
Other fans defended the All-Star guard since he was injured.
“He was injured 😭 series ain’t over”
“Haliburton injured, Mathurin gone AWOL & an 18 point early deficit and game 5 disaster for the @Pacers was inevitable.”
“Looked like that leg bothered him. Hopefully fit for next game.”
Looked like that leg bothered him. Hopefully fit for next game.
— Trap (@TRAPJNR) June 17, 2025
“He is sidelined with injuries but trying to play through. Pacers still had enough but fell short”
“He’s injured tho. He wouldn’t even play if this is a regular season game”
Indiana Pacers’ star talks about what the team needs to do for Game 6
Throughout the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers have struggled to protect the ball from the Thunder. The Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led team has been a problem on the defensive end, often hounding the opposing team. For Game 6, Haliburton talked to the media about what they should do to tie the series.
“In all three of our losses in the series, turnovers have been a big reason why. We have to do a better job of taking care of the ball if we want a chance to win Game 6,” Haliburton said. “We got to approach the game the right way.”
“We got to do a better job of getting spaced, getting downhill and keeping pace.”
Haliburton: "We got to do a better job of getting spaced, getting downhill and keeping pace."
Taking care of the ball is the biggest thing (for Game 7).
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) June 17, 2025
The Indiana Pacers need to play at their pace to prevent the Thunder from setting their defense.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
