Thunder 91 vs 108 Pacers Game 6 summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Finals
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Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Clear your calendar. Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET a champion will be crowned. It's all or nothing from Paycom Center as the series shifts back to Indiana for the final game of the NBA season.
Ben Sheppard drilled this buzzer beating three to end the third quarter and the Thunder waved the flag after that. Down by 30, the starters sat the rest of the way as OKC conceded Game 6, and started to look ahead to Game 7 on Sunday night.
All credit to the Pacers who came out and looked like the only team that was fighting for their lives in Game 6, but the Thunder defense was non existent sometimes. Siakam was one of the six Pacers players in double digits, ending the game with 16 and 13 rebounds.
Neither team scored for the first four minutes of the second half, but it was Haliburton who got things started in the third quarter. He had 14 points and 5 assists, went 5/12 shooting, but he did so much more that what the stats say. His two steals tell you just a fraction of what he did for the Pacers in Game 6.
Siakam beat the buzzer to put the Pacers up by 22 at the halftime break. I don't think anyone in a Pacers uniform, player or fan, would have dreamed they would have been up by that much before the Game 6 tip off, but they played like the desperate team and not for the first time the Thunder learned how hard it is to close out a team on the road in the playoffs.
This capped the 17-2 run. Haliburton came up with the steal and he hit Siakam with the no look pass before Pascal dropped the hammer on the defenders head. The place was rocking all night, but this was the loudest it got in the final game in Indiana this season.
Haliburton just being out there gave the Pacers a boost, but him hitting threes and bringing energy on both ends of the court looked to inspire the rest of his team. The lead built up in the second quarter, but you felt like the Thunder would have their response at some point, but it never came.
With or without Haliburton TJ McConnell was going to have to have a big game, and that's exactly what he had on Thursday night. The lead got cut to 1, but the Pacers would respond. McConnell hit this bucket to start what would become a 17-2 run.
SGA and Jalen Williams had 31 of the 42 first half points for the Thunder, but they had 12 turnovers and were shooting it terribly from field, especially the perimeter. Indy's defense was stifling from the start and it frustrated the Thunder all night.
All of the questions coming into Game 6 were surrounding Tyrese Haliburton and his calf strain. He said he was going to try and play through it, and he did much more than that. He never looked bothered by it. He never looked out of his comfort zone. In fact, he might have looked the best he has all series in the knock out game.
The Indiana Pacers came home with their backs against the ropes and came up with the biggest win of the season. Obi Toppin led all scorers in the blow out win over the Thunder that forces a Game 7 back in OKC on Sunday.
The Thunder got out to an early 8-2 lead, like they have in most of the Finals games but it didn't take Andrew Nembhard and the Pacers too long to respond. He hit back to back threes and had 8 straight points to put the Pacers in the lead and they would keep that for the rest of the night.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The Pacers don't just hold on to force Game 7, they crush the Thunder!!!
Joe drop a three ball from the wing!
Johnson gets hit with a technical foul and he then got ejected from the game! Joe hits the technical FT.
Bryant sticks the three ball from the top of the key off the dish from Mathurin.
Dieng steps back and drills the three ball from the top of the key!
Mitchell slashes to the cup and he lays it up and in.
Williams sends Bryant to the line where he hits one of two FTs.
Joe drives to the lay up and he lays it up and in.
Toppin pulls up from inside the three point line and hits the long two.
Toppin on fader from the from the FT line.
Jones drives baseline and he lays it up and in.
Williams drills a three ball and it's a 22 point lead for Indy.
Pacers call a timeout with 5:44 to go in the 4th quarter.
Jones lays it up and in off the dish from Joe.
Toppin to the line and he hits one of two FTs.
Sheppard sends Joe to the line and he hits both FTs.
Mathurin streaks to the cup and Siakam found him for the lay up.
J. Williams drills the triple try from the top of the key!
Sheppard pulls up from outside the lane and hits the mid range jumper.
Wiggins to the line after the foul on Sheppard and he both FTs.
McConnell pulls up from the FT line and drills the mid range jumper.
Nesmith sends Williams to the line ad he hits one of two FTs.
Wiggins finds K. Williams for the three ball at the top of the key!
Timeout Pacers with 10:04 to go in the 4th quarter.
McConnell sends K. Williams to the line and he misses both FTs. The Thunder starters are on the bench to start the quarter.
McConnell pulls up in the lane and hits the short jumper.
Wallace hits the baseline jumper to start the quarter.
Sheppard with the buzzer beater three ball after the offensive board and tip pass from Nembhard!!!
IND lead by 30 with 12 minutes to go in Game 6!!!
Toppin with the pump fake and pull up from the wing and he drills the three ball!
Dort with a high arching three from the wing for his first FG of the night.
Siakam pulls the trigger from the top of the key and he drains it with the shot clock winding down!
Toppin to the line after the foul on Wiggins and he hits one of two FTs.
Nembhard to the line after the foul on Williams and he hits both FTs.
Nembhard with a catch and shoot from the wing and he drills the three off the dish from McConnell!
SGA into the lane and he hits the jumper and gets the foul on Nembhard! FT is good.
Nembhard to the line after the foul on Joe and he hits both FTs.
Joe sticks a three ball out of the timeout and it's an 8-0 run from OKC.
Bradley just got T'd up after pushing Hartenstein who was looking to restart the play quickly after the out of bounds on IND. SGA hits the FT.
Timeout Pacers with 5:25 to go in the 3rd quarter.
SGA to the line after the foul on Turner and he hits both FTs.
Turner fouls Hartenstein and he hits both FTs again.
Toppin strings a three from the top off the key off the kick out from McConnell!
Hartenstein to the line after the foul on Haliburton and he hits both FTs.
Alley oop from SGA to Hartenstein and the Thunder finally score five minutes into this second half.
Haliburton with a full court pass to Sheppard and he lays it up and in after getting behind the defense.
Timeout Thunder with 7:15 to go in the 3rd quarter!
No look pass from Nembhard to Turner on the slam for his first bucket.
Haliburton with the give and go with Nesmith and that leads to a lay up down low for the first bucket of the second half.
Timeout Thunder with 8:06 to go in the 3rd quarter.
WE ARE BACK IN INDIANA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!
Siakam hit the buzzer beater to send the Pacers to half up by 22 after ending the 2nd quarter on a 30-9 run. Siakam has 13 and 3 heading into the second half.
The Indy defense has been sensational. They have forced 12 turnovers and only committed two. That's exactly what they needed to do to win this game, and they need to keep it up in the second half. Before we get to that, can we please talk about Siakam's dunk off the no look pass from Hali?
This might be the best we have seen Haliburton look this series. He is fighting through his calf strain, but so far it's not effecting his game. He's got 12 points, and 4 assists.
With or without Haliburton McConnell knew he was going to have to bring it tonight, and he's done it with hustle plays and buckets. He's got 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
The Thunder cut the lead down to 1 with Willams and SGA getting warm, but McConnell would put an end to that by starting what would become a 17-2 run in the second quarter.
SGA's got 15, but nothing has looked easy for him. IND is locking him up and making life difficult for him and for the rest of the Thunder. Williams and SGA have 31 of the 42 points for OKC.
All the talk coming into tonight was centered around Haliburton and he has delivered despite his calf strain. This was his first bucket of the night, but he's been doing more than just scoring. He's defending, he's running the break and he's bringing a big boost to his team.
Nembhard sparked a run with back to back threes and 8 straight points to give the Pacers the lead, which they have kept since then. He's got 10 on the night.
After dropping 40 last game, Williams came out with back to back buckets and he is the only one that looks in this game for OKC. He's got 16 to lead the Thunder.
Like they have for most of this series, the Thunder came out hot from the tip. They took an 8-2 lead, but that would be short lived. Holmgren had four points in the first half, these were two of them.
WE ARE AT THE HALFTIME BREAK AND THE PACERS LEAD BY 22!!!
Siakam backing down Caruso and he hits the fader from the wing to beat the buzzer!!!
Haliburton picked off the pass and found Siakam who jammed it in the face of Dort!
Haliburton down the lane and he floats one up and in with the left hand.
Williams on the runner from outside the lane and he gets it to fall and gets the foul! FT is good after the foul on Nesmith.
Siakam got the inbound on the baseline, spun and laid it up and in.
Haliburton pulls the trigger with a deep ball and he hits it from the logo on the wing!
SGA on the baseline and he hits the midrange jumper.
Nembhard down the lane and he lays it up with Holmgren hanging over him.
Williams dives to the bucket and lays it up and in with the right hand to break up a 17-2 run.
Nesmith with the floater in the lane and gets the foul! FT is good after the foul on Williams.
The challenge is successful from IND, so they get the ball after the break.
Hartenstein was fouled by Turner, but the Pacers are going to challenge that call with 4:16 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Haliburton with the steal on the sideline and he starts a break that ends with a Nesmith three in the corner!!
Timeout Thunder with 4:33 to go in the 2nd quarter.
SGA fouled by Toppin on the shot and he hits both FTs.
Holmgren missed an alley oop on one end and Nesmith drains a three ball from the wing in transition!
Bradley to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he hits one of two FTs.
Bradley follows the miss from McConnell and puts it back up and in.
Timeout Thunder with 7:20 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Haliburton on the step back three ball and he drills it from the wing!
McConnell dribbles into the paint and he hits the fader in the lane.
Williams to the line after the foul on Siakam and he hits both FTs.
McConnell hits the pull up from the elbow out of the timeout.
Willams drives baseline pumps fakes the reverse, spins back and lays it up off the glass.
Timeout Pacers with 9:28 to go in the 2nd quarter.
SGA with the pump. fake up and under and he hits the leaner in the lane.
McConell with back to back buckets, this time with the pull up in the paint.
McConnell darts to the cup and he lays it up and in for his first two points.
SGA on the step back to start the second quarter.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER!!!
OKC went up 8-2, but the Thunder battled back with 8 straight points from Nembhard and a couple threes from Toppin.
Nemhard has 8, Siakam has 7 and SGA and Williams both have 7 each. Most importantly, Haliburton looks like he's going to be ok. He looked good, explosive and even hit a three ball.
SGA with a dash to the rack and he lays it up and in to beat the buzzer.
SGA to the line after the foul on Siakam and he hits one of two FTs.
SGA to the FT line and he hits the fader over Nembhard.
Siakam to the line after the foul on Wallace and hits hits both FTs.
Wiggins pulls up from the wing in transition and drills the three ball!
Toppin to the line after the foul on Wiggins and he hits both FTs.
McConnell to the line after the timeout, but he misses both FTs after the foul on Wallace.
Toppin with the three ball, but Turner was there with the offensive rebound and kickout to Haliburton who drills the three ball!
Timeout Thunder with 4:15 to go in the 1st quarter!
Williams with the runner and he banks it in from outside the lane.
McConnell with the steal in the back court and he finds Toppin who knocks home his second straight three!!
Hartenstein into he lane and he floats it up and in.
Toppin off the bench and he strokes a three ball from the corner!!!
Williams to the line after the foul on Nesmtih and he hits one of two FTs.
Nembhard blows past the defender and scoops it up and in! He's got 8 straight points.
Nembhard pump fakes, side steps and bangs down another three ball form the wing!
SGA to the bucket and he lays it up and in with the left hand.
Haliburto with a cross court pass to Nembhard in the corner for three!
Siakam gets dragged to the ground and flips it up and in for the lay up on Dort and gets the foul! FT is good.
Turner's lay up was blocked but it bounced back to Siakam at the FT line and he hits the jumper.
Holmgren turns on Nesmith and lays it up and in down in the paint.
Williams spins on the baseline and gets a wide open jam!
Timeout Pacers three minutes into this game.
Williams slashes through the lane and lays it up off the glass with the left hand.
Turner to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he hits one of two FTs.
Holmgren takes Siakam to the cup and lays it up and in over the big man.
Haliburton to the line after an away from the ball foul and he hits the FT.
Holmgren missed his lay up to start the game, but Hartenstein was there for the put back.
GAME 6 IS UNDERWAY FROM INDIANA!!!
Thunder starting five
The Thunder are going with their starting five from the last few games. It's SGA, Dort, Williams, Holmgren, and Hartenstein in the starting five. They went with Cason Wallace in the first two games of the series and went 1-1. Since putting Hartenstein in they are 2-1 and a game away from the title.
Starting five: Pacers
We heard the news officially a little more than an hour ago, but here is the confirmation. It's Haliburton in the starting line up, calf strain and all. He is joined by Nembhard, Turner, Nesmtih and Siakam to start Game 6.
Injury report: Thunder
The Thunder haven’t just been the best team all season, they have been the healthiest, especially in the postseason. When stars like Damian Lillard, and Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum went down with injuries that shut down their season, the Thunder have maintained a healthy roster throughout the playoffs. Not just the stars, but the guys down the bench are healthy and a lot of times those are the guys that make the difference. Everyone will be looking to chip in as OKC look to close this series down tonight.
Injury report: Pacers
We know that Tyrese Haliburton is banged up. He’s going to give it a go, and we will see how he comes out. The first few minutes should tell us all we need to know about the Pacers PG. Outside of Haliburton, Jarace walker is also ruled out with a sprained ankle he suffered in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He was initially ruled out for the first two games, but has not returned since he was injured. This is a team that stayed healthy until the bitter end, and now it’s going to be up to the other guys to keep this team alive for one more game.
How can Indy stay alive?
So, if Tyrese Haliburton is out of the game, or extremely limited by his calf straight, how do the Pacers win tonight? Well, a lot of that pressure is going to fall on the shoulders of TJ McConnell who showed he can run the team just as smoothly sometimes even smoother than Tyrese Haliburton. In Game 5, he took over with his scoring and passing. They are also going to have to take care of the ball. The Thunder play swarming defense and create a lot of turnovers. The Pacers have give the ball away a lot in this series. Too much. But tonight if they can limit the turnovers and keep the Thunder off the boards, they will have a chance. The other thing they might try is throwing a zone at SGA. Nothing they have done has worked, and as a last ditch effort to slow down the MVP and OKC.
OKC in close out games
This is the third close out game that the Thunder have played in and they are 3-1 in those games. They beat the Grizzlies in Game 4 of the first round to complete the sweep of the 8 seed. Then they played the Nuggets who took them to Game 7. They had a chance to win Game 6, but the Nuggets were able to hold off OKC and force a Game 7 that the Thunder won under their own roof. The series against the Wolves was supposed to go a lot longer than 5 games, but the Thunder smashed the Nuggets in Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals. Now here they are, in another close out game. This one is on the road, like the one in Denver. They will be hoping not to have to play a Game 7, and close out the series tonight.
SGA joins the shortlist of playoff greats
The awards and accolades and historic lists of players SGA has joined on the way to the NBA Finals are endless, but this one is the most impressive. In the 21 games the Thunder have played, SGA has posted 30+ in 15 of those games. The only other players to do that in a postseason: Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan. They were epic playoff runs that ended in NBA titles. Olajuwon and Jordan actually had 16 30+ point games, and SGA can draw level with them tonight. First SGA needs to win the championship and then we can rank where this playoff run lands on the best of all time.
SGA going for the double dip
What a season SGA is on the verge of completing. After leading the Thunder to the best record in the NBA, and earning his first MVP award. After leading his team through the first three rounds of the playoffs, the Thunder are a win away from the NBA Title and SGA is waiting in the wings to get the ever elusive Double Dip of the MVP of the NBA and the MVP of the NBA Finals. It’s a short list of players that have double dipped in the same season, and it hasn’t happened in over a decade.
Star watch: Thunder
Who else would we go to? SGA has been the star of the show in OKC all year so why would tonight be any different’? Sure Jalen Williams scored 40 last game, but SGA is going to be the driving force behind the Thunder’s success tonight. He’s averaging 30.2 ppg in the playoffs and like Pacers coach Rick Carlisle say, you can mark him down for 30+ before each game starts. If the Thunder win tonight, he will be the one getting handed the Finals MVP trophy after the game.
Star watch: Pacers
With Haliburton banged up we have to have to turn our star watch to Pascal Siakam. He is the leading scorer and rebounded on a team that went to the NBA Finals. There is no question to how important he is to this team, but that importance is going to multiply exponentially tonight. He’s been the leading scorer in this series and this playoff run for the Pacers, averaging 21 points and 6.1 rebounds in the playoffs and 20.6 and 7.4 in the Finals. In Game 6, Siakam is going to have to be heroic if the Pacers are going to have any chance of surviving until Game 7.
Haliburton’s status
A calf strain is nothing to mess with, unless it’s a knockout game in the NBA Finals. Tyrese Haliburton had an ankle injury that was bothering him after Game 2, and in Game 5 that ankle sprain turned into a a major problem. Haliburton fell to the ground and knew something was wrong right off the bat. The diagnosis: a calf strain. The same thing that has kept countless stars out of big playoff games in the last few season is now struck down the Pacers pilot of the offense. He said he’s going to give it a go, but if Game 5 was any indication, he’s going to be heavily hobbled.
Series recap
It’s been a long series, so let’s take you back through each and every game. Game 1 was dominated by the OKC Thunder for three and a half quarters, but the Pacers, who did it all postseason, pulled off another miracle with a Haliburton go ahead bucket to take the first game in OKC and take home court from the Thunder. The next game was dominated by the Thunder again, but this time they were able to close out the Pacers and even up the series thanks to SGA’s 34 and 8 assists. Tyrese Haliburton came to play back in Indy for Game 3, scoring 22 points in a near triple double game, and got a playoff career high 27 points from Benedict Mathurin to beat OKC and take the lead in the series again. In a must win situation, the Thunder responded in Game 4, with another big game from SGA who got hot in the 4th quarter and led the comeback over Indy. Last game it was all about Jalen Williams who dropped a 40 piece to topple Indy and take a 3-2 lead.
Game 5 recap
Just like most of the first four games, the Oklahoma City Thunder jumped out to an early lead over the Indiana Pacers thanks to their smothering defense which converted into to points off turnovers. They had a double digit lead and kept their advantage all night thanks to 40 points from Jalen Williams and 31 from SGA. Despite the explosion of offense for OKC, and disastrous night for Tyrese Haliburton which saw him injure him leg and get held to zero field goals all night, the Pacers clawed their way back into the game. Pascal Siakam’s 28 points and TJ McConnell’s heroics in the third quarter that gave life to the Pacers wasn’t enough as they cut the lead down to 2 with 8 minutes left, but OKC would go on another run and hold off the Pacers to take Game 5 and set up this close out game tonight.
We are live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Hello everyone and welcome to Indiana where the Pacers know their backs are against the wall after losing Game 6 in OKC, but know the series isn’t over yet. They have to defend their homecourt, which they have done so well during the playoffs, but tonight the stakes are as great as they possibly could be. Win or go home. The Thunder however, know this is it. They have never been closer to an NBA title and they are looking to take care of business on the road again a team that will be led by a brave, but hobbled star. There is no room for sympathy, especially in a close out game. The Thunder have been counted out all series, but continue to survive. Tonight’s game would be the ultimate testament to their perseverance, but it won’t be easy against the MVP and the OKC Thunder.
Thunder vs. Pacers Game 6
The Larry O’Brien Trophy is in the building tonight from Indiana as the Oklahoma City Thunder look to close out the series, and the season with a win from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but the Indiana Pacers have other ideas. They are back home, and will need a boost from the fans in the cradle of basketball with the conductor of the orchestra coming in banged up. It’s the Thunder looking to lift Larry tonight while the Pacers hope to push this series back to OKC for an all or nothing Game 7. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s Game 6 from Indiana.