Obi Toppin Feels Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles Injury 'Was My Fault' After Pacers' Loss
Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin blamed himself for the injury Tyrese Haliburton suffered early in the team's 103-91 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
"You don't want to see nobody get hurt, but—I don't know—we needed Ty out there," Toppin said after the game, per Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick of The Athletic. "For him to go down, (in) a game like that, that s--t sucked the soul out of us. I ain't gonna say out of everybody, but I don't feel like I played good because I was thinking about it the whole day and I felt like it was my fault."
Haliburton's father, John, told ESPN's Lisa Salters that his son suffered an Achilles injury after he went down in the first quarter of Sunday's contest.
The injury occurred as the star point guard attempted to plant his right foot and drive inside the arc after receiving a pass from Toppin.
Haliburton was on crutches as he met his teammates while they walked into the locker room following the defeat.
Haliburton started Game 7 on a high note prior to the injury, scoring nine points and shooting 3-of-4 from behind the arc in just seven minutes on the floor.
Toppin struggled off the bench, finishing with zero points and missing all four of his shot attempts. He also committed three turnovers compared to just one assist.
The Pacers initially kept up with the Thunder without Haliburton, taking a one-point lead at halftime due to a step-back triple from Andrew Nembhard just before the second quarter ended.
Oklahoma City finally pulled away by outscoring Indiana 34-20 in the third quarter, as the Pacers racked up 23 turnovers without the presence their lead guard for the majority of the game.
While Toppin shouldered the blame for Haliburton's injury, the two-time All-Star was already dealing with health issues entering Sunday's matchup.
He was listed as questionable entering the game due to a calf injury that affected him in Game 5 and Game 6 of the series, as he combined to score just 18 points on 5-of-18 shooting during both contests.
Still, Toppin revealed that his feelings regarding Haliburton's injury impacted his Game 7 performance.
