Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton went down in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, falling to the floor in obvious pain early in the first quarter before being helped off the floor.
Haliburton had been nursing a strained calf throughout much of the series. He went down while handling the ball in the first quarter, remaining on the court and later being surrounded by his teammates.
Haliburton covered his head in a towel and had to be helped to the locker room. The Pacers did not provide an immediate update, but it initially appeared that he would be unlikely to return.
Haliburton had been off to a hot start, making 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point arc with nine total points.
Going into Game 7, Haliburton said he was determined to play through the pain of his lingering calf injury.
"I just look at it as I want to be out there to compete with my brothers," he said. "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 added that he worked closely with Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, saying he would be out on the court as long as he wasn't a detriment to the team.
"I just want to be out there and fight and just had to have an honest conversation with coach (Rick Carlisle) that, you know, if I didn't look like myself and was hurting the team, like sit me down," Haliburton said. "Obviously, I want to be on the floor. But I want to win more than anything. So had an honest conversation with coach. But yeah, I want to be on the floor, and if I have the ability to, if I can -- like I said, if I can walk, I want to be out there."