Sources – Haliburton believed to have calf strain, will have MRI

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is believed to have suffered a strained right calf and will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday.

Haliburton aggravated his calf injury in the first quarter of Monday’s 120-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but he returned in the second quarter with the calf wrapped and finished the game.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged his star guard was not 100% after the game, but Haliburton made it clear he had no plans in missing Game 6 with Indiana’s season on the line.

“If I can walk, then I want to play,” Haliburton said.

Game 6 is Thursday night in Indianapolis. The Pacers trail 3-2 in the series.

Haliburton played 34 minutes in Game 5, but finished without a field goal, missing all six of his shot attempts. He finished with four points (along with six assists and seven rebounds), the lowest scoring total of his playoff career. It marked the first time he has finished a postseason game without making a field goal.

After his postgame news conference following Game 2, Haliburton limped off with what was later revealed to be a right ankle injury. On Monday, he acknowledged this injury was in the “same area.”

Haliburton is averaging 15 points, 7.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds on 45% shooting through the first five games of the series.

Source: espn.com