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The odds just got longer for the underdog Indiana Pacers.
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The Eastern Conference champions, who forced a deciding NBA Finals clash with a gutsy victory over the Thunder in Thursday’s Game 6, lost star guard Tyrese Hailburton late in the first quarter of Game 7 in Oklahoma City with a right leg injury.
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The two-time all-star, who injured his right calf in Game 5 of the series, hit the floor in obvious pain while being guarded by NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder. Haliburton was helped off the court with a towel over his head after replays showed a noticeable pop in his lower right leg.
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He was leading the Pacers with nine points at the time of the injury and was quickly ruled out for the game in the second quarter.
To add insult to injury, the Thunder scooped up the rebound with Hamilton native Gilgeous-Alexander feeding fellow Oklahoma City star Jalen Williams for an easy dunk on a 2-on-1 break.
“It’s a heartbreak, man,” longtime Pacer Myles Turner told ESPN between the first and second quarters, vowing that his teammates would have Haliburton’s back.
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Both franchises are looking to end lengthy title droughts.
The Thunder, the Western Conference’s top seed this season, won its first and only NBA title as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1978-79 before the team bolted for Oklahoma City in 2008.
The Pacers, who were fourth in the Eastern Conference in the regular season before knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, have never won an NBA title, but they were three-time champs in the defunct American Basketball Association (1969-70, ’71-72 and ’72-73) before the league merged with the NBA in 1976.
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[Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder attempts a shot against Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
The final act of the NBA Finals: 2 teams, 1 game, 1 trophy. Pacers at Thunder will decide a champion](https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/the-final-act-of-the-nba-finals-2-teams-1-game-1-trophy-pacers-at-thunder-will-decide-a-champion)
2. [Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers reacts during Game 5 of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City.
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton likely to be a game-time decision for Game 6 of NBA Finals](https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/haliburton-likely-game-time-decision-game-6)
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