Tyrese Haliburton hurt his right leg during the first half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. A hobbled Haliburton was held scoreless as the Thunder took a 14-point lead into halftime.
During the ESPN halftime show, Shams Charania reported that Haliburton was dealing with right calf tightness. This was good news in the mind of Stephen A. Smith, as he was glad there was a reason Haliburton was playing so poorly.
Stephen A: "I'm not trying to be mean or whatever, just be factual. He looks bad, he was not active, he was not aggressive. He's not helping them" pic.twitter.com/BNF0Ku83bM
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 17, 2025
"Haliburton has looked awful and I'm glad he's injured," said Smith. " I'm not saying I'm glad he's injured, but I'm glad we got that as a rational."
When Bob Myers brought Haliburton back up a few moments later, Smith jumped in.
"You want to be nice all the damn time," shouted Smith. "I'm not trying to be mean or whatever. Just being factual! He looks bad! He was not active. He was not aggressive. And now that we know he's not healthy, I totally agree with Big Perk. Sit him down! Get him ready for Game 6 because he's a minus-16 on the floor. He ain't helping the team!"
Haliburton started the second half.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Glad Tyrese Haliburton Injured During Game 5 After Bad Half.
