Pacers say Tyrese Haliburton not limited by lower leg issue

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton denied any concerns regarding his lower leg injury ahead of the third game of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Haliburton, who scored a match-winning basket in the opening game of the series, admitted he faced a lower leg issue on Tuesday’s practice but it’s not alarming and he should be good for Wednesday’s game.

“I don’t think there’s anything more to elaborate,” Haliburton said. “I feel fine and I’ll be ready to go for Game 3.”

“I know he has some discomfort,” head coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday. “He feels it. But each day it’s getting better. I don’t think you’re going to hear him making a big deal out of it.

“This is the time of year where it just doesn’t get any better than this. The atmosphere, the interest, the opportunity, coming back and being at home, I mean, there’s just so much to be excited about. We’ve got a couple guys that are slightly under the weather; I don’t think anything is going to keep these guys from playing in the game.”

Haliburton is averaging 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists on 50% shooting so far in this series and he is going to hold the key in the third game of the series. Tyrese admitted he should have done better in the second game, which the Pacers lost by a big margin.

“They’re really connected on the defensive end,” Haliburton said. “I feel like they mix up coverages. Coach [Mark] Daigneault isn’t afraid to do things on the fly. He doesn’t do anything that’s like very traditional.

“They’ve really done that all year. I just feel like they’re willing to mix things up. The biggest thing is just personnel. Their personnel is different than everywhere else.”