Indiana Pacers Arrive Late in Oklahoma City for NBA Finals
The Indiana Pacers arrived late in Oklahoma City for the NBA finals.
#IndianaPacers #NBA #NBAFinals #OKCThunder
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New York Times
24 minutes ago
- New York Times
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton dealing with lower leg discomfort, not worried about Game 3 availability
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is feeling 'discomfort' with a 'lower leg thing' but expects to play in Game 3, he said Tuesday. Haliburton was noticeably limping after Indiana lost Game 2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 123-107, in which he scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter. He is not expected to be on the Pacers' injury report for Game 3, because, well, this is the most important set of games he's ever played, and no one on the Pacers is interested in caution right now. Advertisement Game 3 is at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Indianapolis, and the series is tied 1-1. Haliburton is averaging 15.5 points, six assists and four turnovers per game and shooting just 33 percent from 3 so far in the series. 'At this time of year, I don't know if anybody's feeling perfect,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'So he practiced (Tuesday) and he went through everything. I know he has some discomfort, he feels it, but each day is getting better. I don't think you're going to hear him making a big deal out of it. This is the time of year where it just doesn't get any better than this. 'So we've got a couple guys that are slightly under the weather, but I don't think anything is going to keep these guys from playing in the game.' It was not immediately clear who else Carlisle was referring to, but starting forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) and backup center Tony Bradley (hip) dealt with injuries earlier in the playoffs. Haliburton missed most of the Eastern Conference finals last year with a hamstring strain and then complained after the Olympics about soreness from the same injury. It was unclear after Game 2 whether Haliburton's injury was to his calf or ankle. All he said about it on Tuesday was, 'It's really just a lower leg thing, I'm gonna leave it at that. I don't think there's anything more to elaborate.' Health aside, outsiders will focus on whether Haliburton can make more of an earlier impact in Game 3. Yes, he hit the game-winning shot in Game 1 to open the series, but finished with just 14 points in that game after scoring six through two quarters. In Game 2, he registered just five points, four assists, three turnovers and seven shots through three quarters. Both Haliburton and Carlisle pointed to the number of big, switchable defenders the Thunder can throw at the Pacers' star – not necessarily as the explanation for Haliburton's slow starts, but just for his lower production so far in this series. Advertisement Oklahoma City, which was the best defensive team during the regular season and holds the same title in the playoffs, has used Luguentz Dort, one of the league's best on-ball defenders, as the primary defender on Haliburton, with help from Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 'Really, both of our all-stars, they can throw different, bigger, smaller, medium guys at Tyrese and at Pascal (Siakam),' Carlisle said. 'It's one of their strengths. We've gone through these situations many times, not only during the playoffs, but during the regular season, not just this season, but prior seasons. And so we're going to have to adjust and create better situations.' Haliburton, in echoing Carlisle, said, 'I think playing two games against these guys is really good. 'It gives me more film to watch, see where I can be better,' Haliburton said. 'I feel like I haven't been great by any means through the first two games. So I'm just trying to take what I can to prepare me for Game 3. And I'm trying to be the best version of myself. 'So just keep watching film, see if I can get better. The answers always lie in the film.' During the regular season, Haliburton held a nearly 9:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has been nowhere near that so far against the Thunder, who have turned the Pacers over at an alarming rate. The Pacers have committed 40 turnovers in two games. 'Some of our turnovers have been so violently bad, the opponent hasn't even had a chance to catch the ball,' Carlisle said, drawing quite a bit of laughter from the room of reporters. 'Tyrese has been historically great with ball security, and this team that we're playing now presents unprecedented challenges,' Carlisle said. 'They've been turning everybody over through the entire playoffs. So look, we're going to have to have really great spatial awareness with everything that we're doing. 'You can't play too careful against Oklahoma or otherwise you'll never get a basket.'
USA Today
30 minutes ago
- USA Today
Luka Doncic reacts to Don Nelson ripping Mavericks for trading him
Luka Doncic reacts to Don Nelson ripping Mavericks for trading him 127 days after the trade, former Mavs head coach Don Nelson discusses his Luka trade protest… with Luka's former coach Rick Carlisle right next to him — Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) June 8, 2025 Recently, during an NBA Finals press conference, Don Nelson was given the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award for his many years as a former NBA head coach. His head coaching career started in the 1976-77 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, and he spent 11 seasons there while guiding some very good and underrated teams. Today's fans perhaps know him best as the head coach of those Dallas Mavericks teams in the early 2000s that were among the first to play modern-day "pace and space" basketball. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 as a head coach. At the press conference, Nelson showed solidarity with the Mavericks franchise while protesting the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. He wore a pair of Doncic's sneakers and had the following message. "Luka, too, my dear friend, in fact, I want everybody to know I am wearing Luka's shoes, his new shoes from Nike," Nelson said. "Just got on the market. I'm wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. I think it was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him -- and I want everybody to know that." Doncic, in turn, tweaked Nelson a bit with a post on Instagram. Luka with a message for former Mavs Head Coach Don Nelson on his IG story: 'Congratulations Coach! Nice shoes!' — Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) June 9, 2025 Before Nelson became a head coach, he had a successful 14-year playing career in the NBA. He actually spent two seasons early in his career with the Lakers, but he played 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, a franchise he won five world championships with in the 1960s and 1970s. His last coaching gig ended with the 2009-10 season when he was at the helm of the Golden State Warriors during Stephen Curry's rookie year.
CBS News
40 minutes ago
- CBS News
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier earns 2nd Player of the Week award this season
Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier has earned her second Western Conference Player of the Week award this season, adding another accolade to her MVP-level year. Collier's latest honor covers two Lynx games, during which she averaged 23 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2 steals and 1.5 blocks. She logged a double-double in each game. The 28-year-old forward was named the West's Player of the Week for the first four games of the season and Player of the Month for May. Collier leads the WNBA this season in points per game (25.5), steals per game (2.2), player efficiency rating (32.1) and win shares (2.4). Her play has the Lynx off to a 9-0 start, matching how the Lynx began their last championship season in 2017. Last season, Collier finished second in MVP voting behind the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson. She's having another stellar season for the Aces, but if Collier continues at her current level of play, it'll be hard for voters to deny her the first MVP award of her career. Collier also made the All-WNBA First Team last year and was named Defensive Player of the Year amid the Lynx's surprising but ultimately unavailing run to the WNBA Finals. She also won a gold medal with Team USA at the Summer Olympics. Since then, she's had a productive offseason. She was named the MVP of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 basketball league she co-founded, and TIME magazine listed her among its 100 Most Influential People.
