The Indiana Pacers can never be counted out, especially after what they've shown all playoffs long, but momentum is slipping away from their grasp as they fall down 3-2 in the 2025 NBA Finals after suffering a 120-109 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 on Monday night. Tyrese Haliburton, in particular, will shoulder a ton of the blame for this defeat, as the OKC defense held him in check to just four points on a night where he missed all six of his shot attempts from the field.

Even then, the Pacers battled and battled and was right up there with the Thunder in the fourth quarter — even trimming the deficit down to as little as two points. But Indiana mustered so much energy to mount the comeback that they lost steam in the final few minutes — turning the ball over four consecutive times near the halfway mark of the final frame, allowing a six-point deficit to snowball into a 16-point Thunder lead that even the Pacers couldn't come back from.

This is exactly the kind of careless play that Haliburton knows the Pacers cannot afford, especially now that they're facing elimination heading into Game 6 on Thursday night.

“22 turnovers against a team like this is a recipe for disaster,” Haliburton said in his postgame presser, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Even Haliburton, who is usually one of the best at taking care of the basketball despite racking up huge assist numbers, coughed the ball up too often in Game 5. He was one of five Pacers players with multiple turnovers (Haliburton had three), and considering how fast the Thunder can generate buckets from the other team's carelessness, they stood little chance at finishing the job on Monday.

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Regardless, the end is not yet here for the Pacers. And with Game 6 being in the friendly confines of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, they will look to polish their execution on both ends of the floor to push the series to a decisive Game 7.

Tyrese Haliburton cannot miss all of his shots for the Pacers

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) walks back to the team bench in the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Haliburton's game goes beyond the scoring column, that much has been established. But it's difficult for the Pacers to do much of anything against an elite Thunder team if Haliburton misses all of his field-goal attempts.

The Pacers will be hoping that the calf injury Haliburton is dealing with heals just enough for him to have a huge Game 6 effort with their backs against the wall.