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INDIANAPOLIS – The Oklahoma City Thunder stands just one victory away from claiming their maiden championship title. Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers are back home, ready for the chance to push the NBA Finals to a Game 7 for the first time in nine years.
Here are 10 statistics to consider ahead of Game 6 on Thursday (8:30 ET, ABC) …
As per tracking data from Second Spectrum, the Pacers have delivered an astounding 598 more passes than the Thunder throughout the first five games, averaging a difference of 120 passes per game. Ball movement is a critical component of Indiana’s offensive strategy, and the relentless defense from Oklahoma City compels teams to share the ball more than usual. With 386 passes every 24 minutes of possession, the Pacers’ passing rate in this round of the playoffs is their highest.
Conversely, the Thunder have amassed an average of 58.2 points per game contributed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, with just 21% of their field goals coming from assists.
Over the five games, the Thunder have enjoyed 31 additional shooting opportunities (either field goal attempts or free throws) compared to the Pacers. Interestingly, Indiana has capitalized on its shooting opportunities better, achieving a true shooting percentage of 58.3%, while Oklahoma City has a percentage of 57.1%.
On the other hand, Oklahoma City has excelled in possession stats, recording 26 fewer turnovers and securing nine more offensive rebounds. Their Game 3 win marked the only instance in this series (and one of just six in their 21 playoff games) where the Pacers had more shooting opportunities than their opponent.
The Thunder have tallied 229 steals (live-ball turnovers for opponents) in the playoffs, which is 23 more than any other team in the last 52 postseasons that have recorded steals. However, their leader, Alex Caruso, is placed merely 27th among individuals in these 52 years, with a total of 42 steals.
In Game 5, Oklahoma City disrupted Indiana’s rhythm and spacing by forcing 23 turnovers, resulting in 32 points off those mistakes.
Excluding the final regular-season game when they were without Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, the Pacers’ 110.1 points per 100 possessions in the Finals represent their poorest five-game offensive stretch since the All-Star break.
While their true shooting percentage of 58.3% is superior to that of the Thunder, it’s also their lowest for any series throughout this playoff run, combined with an elevated turnover rate of 18.7 per 100 possessions, significantly above their usual averages.
The outcome at the offensive end has been pivotal, as the Thunder have outscored the Pacers by an average of 14.0 points per 100 possessions in their three victories (120.4) compared to their two defeats (106.4). This disparity is largely due to their free throw rate (40.6 versus 30.5 attempts per 100 shots) and offensive rebounding percentage (36.4% versus 28.3%), as well as their shooting efficiency.
In terms of scoring, the Thunder have gained 65 more points than the Pacers in the restricted area (+34) or from the free-throw line (+31), while the Pacers hold a +41 advantage on field goals made outside the restricted area.
The Pacers have experienced a scoring deficit of 14.5 points per 100 possessions during the 60 minutes Haliburton has been off the court. Game 5 was the first in this series where Indiana failed to maintain a lead during Haliburton’s minutes due to his calf injury. Although both teams can utilize extensive bench depth, the Thunder’s reserves have proven significantly more effective than those of the Pacers.
In the Finals, the Pacers have converted 49.1% of their corner 3-point attempts, making 11 more than the Thunder; however, their five corner 3-point attempts in Game 5 represented their lowest in the series.
They’ve also struggled with above-the-break 3-pointers, hitting just 31.3%, their poorest rate in any of their four playoff series, a drop from 39.8% in the earlier rounds.
Through the final six seconds of the shot clock, the two teams have combined to shoot a bleak 12-for-69 (17.4%) from 3-point range, according to Second Spectrum. Although the Thunder managed to get their transition offense rolling in Game 5, the Pacers have averaged only 15.4 transition points per game, a decrease from 25.8 per game in the initial three games, as per Synergy tracking.
Indiana has faced significant difficulties when forced to make late clock decisions, with a shooting percentage of just 25.5% from the field (including 7-for-47 from beyond the arc) during the final six seconds. While the Thunder’s shooting isn’t significantly better (28.6%, 5-for-22), they have not needed to stretch the clock as often as Indiana has.
When the Thunder have switched a ball-screen involving Haliburton, the Pacers have managed only 0.63 points per chance (24 points on 38 opportunities), whereas they have achieved 0.92 points per chance against other pick-and-roll coverage by Oklahoma City.
This switching defense tends to disrupt Indiana’s ball movement and prompts Haliburton to engage in isolation against the defender. The Pacers have scored a mere 0.45 points per chance (nine on 20 opportunities) in isolation plays for Haliburton, down from 1.16 points in the previous three playoff rounds.
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John Schuhmann serves as a senior statistics analyst for NBA.com. You can reach him via email here, view his archive here, and follow him on X.
The perspectives expressed in this article do not necessarily mirror the opinions of the NBA, its franchises, or Warner Bros. Discovery.
