Tyrese Haliburton reiterated his desire to feature in the Indiana Pacers' must-win Game 6 clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder despite confirming he is injured. 

Haliburton briefly exited Tuesday's 120-109 defeat to the Thunder in Game 5 of the NBA Finals after he aggravated an existing injury in his calf in the first quarter of the contest. 

The 25-year-old was able to return to the game in the second quarter but struggled to make an impact, finishing with four points, seven rebounds and six assists as Indiana went 3-2 down in the series. 

Haliburton limped off after his postgame news conference following Game 2, and acknowledged his latest injury was in the "same area" on Monday. 

He has averaged 15 points, 7.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds on 45% shooting through the first five games of the series, and wants to play his part in Thursday's must-win clash. 

"I have to understand the risks, ask the right questions," Haliburton said. "But I'm a competitor. I want to play. I'm going to do everything in my power to play."

Haliburton has been the Pacers' driving force in offence this postseason, averaging 17.9 points and 9.1 assists in 21 games so far. 

Indiana are 8-1 this postseason when Haliburton scores at least 20 points, and they are 9-1 when he manages to register at least 10 assists for his team-mates. 

Injury Report for tomorrow's game against the Thunder:

Tyrese Haliburton - Questionable (right calf strain)
Jarace Walker - Out (right ankle sprain)
Isaiah Jackson - Out (right Achilles tendon tear) pic.twitter.com/iJmfqlkl1h

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 18, 2025

But the Pacers are preparing for the possibility of their star man not being available for Game 6 in Indianapolis. 

"He'll go through the day tomorrow," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "Our prep session is tomorrow late afternoon. They'll get together and do some testing.

"That will determine whether he plays or not. If he doesn't play, we have a plan, obviously, if we're without him."

Haliburton took part in the Pacers' practice Wednesday, but that involved sitting through 25 minutes of film, a 30-minute walk-through and then some light shooting. 

The team officially listed him as questionable for Game 6 when they submitted their injury report later in the day.

"I have a lot of trust in our medical staff. I have a lot of trust in our organisation to make the right decision," Haliburton said.

"I think there's been many situations through the course of my career where they've trusted me on my body. I want to be out there. That's the plan."

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle also addressed his star player's status earlier in the day in an interview with Indianapolis radio station 107.5 The Fan.

"He is going to be carefully evaluated over the next 36 hours and will likely be listed as questionable on the injury report and probably will be a game-time decision for Game 6," Carlisle said.