The Indiana Pacers delivered their most complete performance of the series to keep their NBA championship hopes alive, routing the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
Obi Toppin led the charge with 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17, and Pascal Siakam posted a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a strained calf, contributed 14 points in a gutsy display.
The Pacers’ bench outworked the Thunder, and their defense suffocated Oklahoma City, holding them to just 91 points — their lowest output of the series. Indiana, who hadn’t held a double-digit lead in any of the first five games, led by as many as 31 in Game 6.
After an ugly 0-of-8 start from the field and falling behind 10-2, Indiana exploded with a 68-32 run that flipped the game on its head. Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (21 points) and Jalen Williams (16 points) couldn’t spark a comeback, and head coach Mark Daigneault pulled his starters heading into the fourth quarter.
Game 7, set for Sunday night in Oklahoma City, marks the first NBA Finals decider since 2016. History slightly favors the Thunder, as home teams are 15-4 all-time in Finals Game 7s. But recent precedent may haunt them: the last Game 7 in the Finals saw Cleveland stun Golden State on the road. Coincidentally, one of the other rare Game 7 home losses came in 1978 — suffered by the Seattle SuperSonics, the franchise that later relocated to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder have already clawed back from the brink once in these playoffs, overcoming a 45-point deficit against Minnesota in the West Finals. Now they’ll need one final surge to capture the title — but Indiana has all the momentum heading into the decisive showdown.
