Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton forced to leave Game 7 with apparent serious lower leg injury
OKLAHOMA CITY — Tyrese Haliburton said he understood the risks of playing through a calf strain to be on the court for Games 6 and 7 of the NBA Finals.
'I have to understand the risks, ask the right questions,' Haliburton said before Game 6. 'I'm a competitor; I want to play. I'm going to do everything in my power to play. That's just what it is.'
In the first quarter of Game 7, Haliburton planted to drive past an Alex Caruso closeout and his leg gave way and he fell to the ground in obvious pain.
Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury in Game 7. pic.twitter.com/AZ1uk65dFg
Instantly he was surrounded by a circle of teammates, and the usually deafening Paycom Arena got quiet. Haliburton had to be helped back to the locker room, a towel draped over his head. For everyone in the building, it was hard to see.
There is no official announcement, but this has all the earmarks of a ruptured Achilles (something that can happen playing through a calf injury). It was eerily reminiscent of Kevin Durant going to the ground in the 2019 Finals when he tried to return too early from a calf injury and ended up tearing his Achilles.
The game was tied 16-16 when Haliburton was injured.
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