Pacers Saluted by Fans for Playoff Run Despite NBA Finals Loss After Haliburton Injury
The Indiana Pacers quickly became shorthanded and couldn't emerge victorious in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Sunday, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder by the final score of 103-91.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton played just seven minutes before suffering an Achilles injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
The score was tied 16-16 at the time of Haliburton's injury, but Indiana couldn't secure an improbable win without its lead guard.
Fans and athletes praised the Pacers for their season as a whole while lamenting Haliburton's injury.
Indiana was still competitive without Haliburton on Sunday, only trailing by three points at the end of the first quarter.
The Pacers outscored the Thunder 26-22 in the second, taking a one-point lead into halftime following a step-back three from Andrew Nembhard just before the first half came to a close.
Without Haliburton, Indiana's starting lineup finally struggled to keep up with Oklahoma City at the start of the second half. The Thunder opened the third quarter on a 15-8 run and withstood multiple runs from the Pacers, owning a 13-point edge heading into the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma City started to pull away in the fourth, leading by as many as 22 points in the period.
The Pacers cut the deficit to 10 points with just under three minutes left in regulation, but couldn't close the gap any further.
Bennedict Mathurin stepped up for Indiana in Haliburton's absence, scoring 24 points and pulling down 13 rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench. He shot 6-of-14 from the field and 2-of-5 from behind the arc.
Pascal Siakam scored 16 points, but only connected on 38.5 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner both struggled to make an impact offensively, combining to finish with just nine points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Issues with ball security plagued the Pacers, especially after Haliburton exited the contest. Indiana committed 23 turnovers, which led to 32 points for Oklahoma City.
While losing Game 7 of the Finals stings, Indiana's overall season was still impressive. As the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers clinched their second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history and were one win away from hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
