Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was the talk of the basketball world thanks to his late-game heroics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. In Game 2, however, the conversation was a little different.
The Thunder’s stifling perimeter defense made life difficult for Haliburton early and often, causing him to become noticeably passive in the half-court during OKC’s 123-107 win. It continued a trend that began in Game 1, though Haliburton’s game-winner caused many to overlook what happened in most of that outing.
Haliburton’s woes became a topic of discussion during the ABC broadcast, with color analyst Richard Jefferson maligning a lack of aggression on the offensive end. By the game’s end, Haliburton was able to help his stat line with some empty calories in the fourth, but those buckets came far too late.
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Here’s more on Haliburton’s performance in Game 2, and how he was stymied by Oklahoma City’s fearsome defensive unit.
Tyrese Haliburton Game 2 stats vs. Thunder
- Minutes: 34
- Points: 17
- Rebounds: 3
- Assists: 6
- Steals: 2
- Turnovers: 5
- Fouls: 1
- FG: 7-13 (53.8%)
- 3FG: 3-8 (37.5%)
- FT: 0-0
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Haliburton finished the game with 17 points, but 12 came in the fourth quarter. Notably, Indiana entered the fourth quarter trailing by 19 points, and most of Haliburton’s scoring came when the game was out of reach.
When it was closer, however, Oklahoma City’s All-Defensive ace Luguentz Dort was the one who made life most difficult for Haliburton. Through the first three quarters, Haliburton had five points on 2-of-7 shooting. His four assists to three turnovers through three quarters were also uncharacteristic.
During All-Star Jalen Williams’ interview ahead of the fourth quarter, he kept things simple, saying “Lu Dort” was the reason for Haliburton’s struggles.
And while Dort deserves the majority of the credit, it was a team effort. Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and even Chet Holmgren took turns showing up to make things difficult for Haliburton.
Late in the first quarter, Haliburton appeared out of sorts with a careless backcourt violation while being guarded by Caruso.
#Pacers Haliburton with a back court violation.
(He had one from last game that wasn’t called, they are watching this closely now) pic.twitter.com/s6oWNMiim6
— Lawrence Owen (@Colts_Law) June 9, 2025
Midway through the second, Holmgren switched onto Haliburton and forced a turnover as the Indiana offense broke down, preventing a kick out to Ben Sheppard.
First, great defense from Chet on Haliburton. Second, Sheppard has to lift up, give a passing angle. pic.twitter.com/rv88GtQucn
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) June 9, 2025
The above two plays exemplify the defensive looks that Haliburton saw, both of which resulted in passiveness through the first three quarters of the game. Haliburton’s seven field goal attempts were far too few for Indiana’s offense to hum as it should, and it is something he will need to correct as the series shifts to Indiana.
Postgame, Haliburton said that he’s had “two really poor first halves” in the NBA Finals so far and that he needs to be “better earlier in games.”
“I gotta do a better job. Take the good and the bad. Watch the film. They’re a team that takes away the paint,” Haliburton said, per Tyler Smith. “We know the paint is our friend. Have to do a better job not playing so late in the clock.”
Tyrese Haliburton:
“I think I’ve had two really poor first halves. I just gotta figure out how to be better earlier in games” pic.twitter.com/xAqlLlB6Fd
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) June 9, 2025
The fourth-quarter emergence was not by happenstance, as Haliburton began to get some looks off the ball. He spoke at length about those coverages and the potential of having found something to continue to stick with as the playoffs go on.
“We had some success there — me playing off the pitch a little bit more, flying around,” Haliburton said. “Rather than if I’m in that high ball screen, which, you know, I feel like I am really successful at, that gives them a chance to load up, pack the paint. They got a couple steals in there, and I made some really some really dumb turnovers tonight.”
“Even in the games that you lose, you’re trying to learn from them.”
Haliburton looks ahead to Game 3 as the #NBAFinals shift to Indiana 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/yv4fxBtyKK
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 9, 2025
“They’re giving me different looks, so I gotta do a better job and just figuring out where I could be better. And in that game, in the second half, when you’re down by so much, you know, you can choose to just take the game for what it is and just be done. Or try to continue to learn different things. So, I think through the course of the series, and already through these first two games. I’m learning where my spots are where I can be better.”
This postseason, the Pacers have posted a 13-5 record, but they’re 8-1 when Haliburton scores 18 or more points. In Game 2, they fell to 5-4 when he comes up short of the 18-point mark.
That number will be one to monitor in Wednesday’s Game 3.
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