The Indiana Pacers watched their NBA Finals title hopes take a frightening hit early. Tyrese Haliburton then went viral with a facial expression that illustrated the concerning moment against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Haliburton tried to attempt a blow-by with the basketball in his hand. But Haliburton's calf popped right behind him at the 4:55 mark of the first quarter. “Hali” went down in agony with this excruciating expression on his face.

A video also surfaced of the moment. Haliburton is grimacing in pain while being attended to at the Paycom Center floor. He's even banging his right fist onto the hardwood in frustration for the injury.

His Pacer teammates and coaches surrounded the All-Star. Haliburton left with a towel draped over his head. His Pacers moved on and managed to take a 25-22 deficit in the first quarter.

Haliburton officially got ruled out of the game early in the second quarter, per ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters.

Tyrese Haliburton dealt with injury before Pacers vs. Thunder Game 7

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) is assisted after an apparent injury following a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.
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“Hali” attempted to gut it out with the Larry O'Brien Trophy on the line.

Haliburton dealt with a calf injury for the past few games in this series. He became a Game 7 question mark before Sunday evening arrived.

The versatile talent still started. He was dealing with soreness and pain in his calf. The 25-year-old came out firing on all cylinders early.

Haliburton buried a trio of threes to reach nine points. And he pulled it off in seven minutes of action.

Rick Carlisle went with a small lineup post Haliburton. He also relied on the experience of Pascal Siakam to lead Indiana post Haliburton. The power forward scored eight points through the first 20 minutes of play.

Bennedict Mathurin also stepped up on the scoring side. Dropping five points in helping fill for “Hali.” Oklahoma City, though, led 34-32 with under 7:30 to go in the second.