NBA Finals: Indiana Pacers Force First Game 7 Since 2016 Against Oklahoma City Thunder
The Indiana Pacers refused to fold under the pressure of an NBA Finals series that had already seen its share of plot twists. Despite star point guard Tyrese Haliburton playing with a calf injury, the Pacers staved off elimination Thursday to win Game 6 of the NBA Finals, 108-91, and push the best-of-seven series against Oklahoma City to its limit.
For the first time since 2016, the Finals are going to a seventh and final game. Game 7 is set for Sunday in Oklahoma City.
The Pacers' 3-point shooting quickly dug them out of an early 10-2 hole in the first quarter, and their signature up-tempo pace and tireless reserves blew open the game and turned this series back into a coin flip. Andrew Nembhard, who had been tasked with guarding Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all series, was no longer asked to pressure the guard as much as he had earlier in the series. The strategic switch preserved some of his energy, and he came alive offensively to score 17 points. Pascal Siakam scored 16 and Obi Toppin scored 20 off the bench for the Pacers.
One game after scoring a career-high 40 for the Thunder, Jalen Williams was held to 16 points, and the Thunder were outscored by 40 during his 27 minutes. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called the breakdowns the result of an "offensive issue."
Leading by just one point early in the second quarter, the Pacers outscored Oklahoma City by 21 points over the half's final eight minutes to lead, 64-42. That dramatic second-quarter turn was sparked by Pacers reserve Aaron Nesmith, then given an exclamation point by Siakam, who dunked over Thunder star Williams 40 seconds before halftime and then, following a scoreless Oklahoma City possession, sank a turnaround jump shot as time expired in the quarter.
Haliburton underwent a pregame strength test under the watch of Indiana's medical staff and was deemed ready to play, and he suited up with a compression sleeve covering his lower right leg. His effectiveness was questionable after he was seen hobbling after interviews in the days after Game 5, when he had failed to make a single field goal. Despite the injury, he showed a burst when he jumped in the air from the top of the 3-point arc and passed to the corner, then sprinted into the paint before he received a pass back and softly banked a shot into the rim for a 24-point lead with 20 minutes remaining in the game.
Over the previous week, the Thunder had wriggled out of difficult positions before, and they wrestled control of the series by limiting their own mistakes. For the second-youngest roster ever to play in the Finals, it was a sign of maturation. Yet all of that cool efficiency melted away in Game 6. They committed 12 turnovers before halftime and made only one of their first 16 3-point attempts.
The gulf between the teams on this night was so wide that Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA's newly crowned MVP, had tied his career-high for turnovers, eight, with 12 minutes still to play in the game. Oklahoma City finished with 10 more turnovers than Indiana and 21 fewer points on 3-pointers.
The Pacers' title hopes now hinge on doing something that has happened only two times before this season — forcing Oklahoma City into consecutive losses. "This," said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, "will be a monumental challenge."
