The Indiana Pacers, rallying round injured star Tyrese Haliburton, crushed the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder 108-91 on Thursday to power a decisive recreation seven within the NBA Finals.
Haliburton, cleared to play with a proper calf harm solely a few hours earlier than tip off, scored 14 factors with 5 assists and two steals in a strong contribution to a complete workforce effort.
“We simply needed to guard dwelling court docket,” Haliburton mentioned. “We didn’t need to see these guys have a good time a championship on our dwelling ground.
“Backs towards the wall, we simply responded,” he added. “So many alternative guys chipped in, whole workforce effort. I’m actually pleased with this group.”
Obi Toppin led the Pacers scoring with 20 factors off the bench as Indiana’s reserves out-scored Oklahoma Metropolis’s bench 48-37.
Andrew Nembhard added 17 factors and Pascal Siakam had 16 factors and 13 rebounds because the Pacers, who had misplaced the final two video games to face on the point of elimination, leveled the best-of-seven championship collection at three video games apiece.
Haliburton, who mentioned he’d do all the pieces he may to play after limping via most of recreation 5, confirmed just about no signal of his harm because the Pacers grabbed the sport by the throat within the second quarter and by no means let go.
Indiana led by 22 factors at halftime and by as many as 31 early within the fourth quarter.
NBA Most Invaluable Participant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, led Oklahoma Metropolis with 21 factors however had eight of the Thunder’s 21 turnovers.
Gilgeous-Alexander missed his lone three-point try whereas Jalen Williams — coming off a 40-point efficiency in recreation 5 — missed all 4 of his three-point makes an attempt on the way in which to 16 factors.
The Thunder, winners of a league-best 68 regular-season video games — pulled their starters after falling behind by 30 going into the fourth quarter.
They’ll be trying to find solutions because the collection heads again to Oklahoma Metropolis for recreation seven on Sunday — the primary recreation seven within the championship collection since 2016.
The Thunder are searching for their first title because the franchise relocated to Oklahoma Metropolis in 2008, having received all of it in 1979 because the Seattle SuperSonics.
The Pacers are in quest of a primary NBA title. They received American Basketball Affiliation titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973 earlier than becoming a member of the NBA as a part of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.
One recreation
“, we’ve received one recreation,” Haliburton mentioned. “All playing cards on the desk. It’s going to be a whole lot of enjoyable.”
For a couple of minutes, it seemed just like the Thunder would possibly roll to the title.
The Pacers missed their first eight pictures and fell into a fast eight-point gap. However they settled in to attach on six straight makes an attempt and took the lead on a three-pointer from Nembhard halfway via the primary quarter.
Indiana piled on the strain with a pair of three-pointers and a trey from Haliburton — his first basket of the evening — pushing their result in as many as 9 factors.
Up by three on the finish of the primary, the Pacers exploded within the second quarter, stepping up the aggression on each ends of the ground on the way in which to a 64-42 halftime lead.
With lower than a minute to go within the first half, Haliburton got here up with a steal then discovered Siakam with a no-look cross for an emphatic dunk.
Siakam adopted up with a turnaround leap shot on the halftime buzzer.
“It’s the Finals,” Haliburton mentioned. “All of us received to present all the pieces we now have.”
Revealed on Jun 20, 2025