The Indiana Pacers secured a dominant 108-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 on Thursday, forcing the series into a win-or-go-home Game 7.
The Thunder started the game off hot and grabbed a 10-2 lead, but the Pacers remained patient and slowly got into an offensive rhythm. After an intense opening quarter, the Pacers led by three.
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As the second frame began, the Indiana floodgates opened. The Pacers went nuclear on both sides of the ball and scored 36 points in the second quarter alone.Tyrese Haliburton, although clearly injured, performed better than he did in Game 5 and only had to play in the first half of Thursday’s battle.
By halftime, the Pacers were ahead by 22.
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Indiana’s defense put OKC in a straight jacket during both the second and third quarter, giving up just 17 points in the second and 18 in the third.
T.J. McConnell was once again a huge factor for Indiana off the bench as the Pacers held off all of OKC’s comeback attempts until the final buzzer.
He finished with 12 points and nine rebounds while Obi Toppin put up 20 points and six boards. Haliburton didn’t appear to be at full strength, but he had 14 points and five assists in 23 minutes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have a terrible performance for OKC, but Indiana’s defense made him less of a factor than he has been in this series. He finished with 21 points and four rebounds.
The series will now head back to OKC for the first Finals Game 7 since 2016. As the Thunder hope to make the necessary adjustments, the Pacers will go into the matchup with a boost of confidence.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
