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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Tried to Comfort Tyrese Haliburton After Game 7 Injury
Tyrese Haliburton started Game 7 of the NBA Finals on fire, hitting three long three-pointers early in the first quarter. Then tragedy struck and Haliburton suffered what looked like an incredibly painful lower leg injury.
Haliburton immediately went down and started hitting the floor and crying out in pain. As play stopped, league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stopped near his fellow Olympian to say something before he headed back to his own bench. SGA was one of the first players to reach Haliburton.
The fact that one of the opposing players stopped to say something to Haliburton is probably another sign that this is more than just a tweak to his previously strained calf muscle.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checks on Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton who was pounding the court in pain after falling.
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 23, 2025
- Haliburton had to be helped to bench and put no weight on right leg pic.twitter.com/4BkVcZeZHT
Haliburton and SGA appeared to be in the early stages of very strong performances when this happened. The fact that fans were robbed of a full-strength Pacers team in Game 7 after such a great series is a real shame.
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Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.