INDIANAPOLIS -- Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton started and is playing in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder on Thursday night.
Haliburton had been a game-time decision after he strained his right calf in Game 5, but the team put him through a strength test during a team walk-through a few hours before the contest, which coach Rick Carlisle said he came through well.
"There's no set minutes limit," Carlisle said prior to the game. "We will watch and monitor things very closely from the beginning of the game through the entirety of the game and we'll go from there."
The Pacers are trailing the series 3-2 and trying to force a Game 7, which would be Sunday night in Oklahoma City. Haliburton had said he wanted to do "everything in his power" to play in Thursday's must-win game, which included a wide range of treatments -- hyperbaric chambers, needles, massage, electronic stimulation, special tape -- to help his strained right calf, a diagnosis that was confirmed by an MRI exam Tuesday.
During his warmup before Game 6, he wore a gray compression sleeve just below his right knee.
He had been dealing with a lower right leg injury throughout the series, but the calf strain worsened in Game 5 although he remained in the game to play 34 minutes. However, Haliburton did not score a field goal and tied a playoff career low with four points as Indiana dropped the contest.
Haliburton averaged 15.0 points, 7.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds on 45% shooting through the first five games of the series.
"We got a job to do tonight," Carlisle said. "We've got to get ready to battle a team that has been the best team in the league all year long. It's a tough game. It's an elimination game. There's a lot going on."
