Carlisle: Haliburton 'not 100%,' but I doubt he will miss Game 6

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed postgame Monday that Tyrese Haliburton is battling a lower leg injury that visibly hindered the star guard during the team's Game 5 loss.

"He's not 100%. It's pretty clear," Carlisle said. "But I don't think he's going to miss the next game.

"We were concerned at halftime. He insisted on playing. And I thought he made a lot of really good things happen in the second half. But he's not 100%. There's a lot of guys in this series that aren't."

Haliburton failed to register a single field goal in Monday's defeat. He left for the locker room momentarily in the first half to receive treatment for calf tightness in his right leg, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. It's the same leg on which the 25-year-old was limping after Game 2; he was also spotted at shootaround prior to Game 3 with black tape running vertically from his lower calf down to his ankle.

The two-time All-NBA selection appeared to aggravate the issue while attempting to drive by Thunder center Chet Holmgren in the first quarter.

"I mean, it's the NBA Finals," Haliburton said Monday when asked about playing through the injury. "It's the Finals, man. I've worked my whole life to be here, and I want to be out there to compete, help my teammates any way I can.

"I was not great tonight by any means, but it's not really a thought of mine to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play. (The Pacers) understand that. It is what it is, and (I) got to be ready for Game 6."

Monday marked the first time that Haliburton didn't make a field goal in the playoffs. It's just the seventh such instance when factoring in his 333 regular-season games over five NBA seasons with the Pacers and Sacramento Kings. Indiana is now 0-5 all time when he fails to score a field goal.

"This is a lifetime opportunity, and not many guys are going to sit even if they're a little banged up," Carlisle said about Haliburton's reluctance to sit out, courtesy of Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. "Now, if you're injured, that's a different story."

Haliburton will have two full days of rest before the series returns to Indiana for Game 6 on Thursday. Game 7, if necessary, then goes Sunday back in Oklahoma City.