NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
INDIANAPOLIS – While it may be tempting to pinpoint the pivotal moment of Game 6 as occurring two hours prior to tipoff—when Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana medical team determined that the All-NBA point guard’s right calf strain was sufficiently healed for him to play—such a conclusion would be misleading.
For the Pacers and their supporters at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the news of Haliburton participating in this crucial game of their lengthy season was certainly uplifting, but merely being present would not suffice.
Whether Haliburton showcased a stellar triple-double performance or simply struggled through a few plays as a source of motivation, Indiana needed to fight for the NBA Finals series tie on the court, not from the treatment room.
The Pacers rose to the challenge, withstood a formidable blow from the Oklahoma City Thunder—the top team throughout the season—without faltering. When it appeared that Indiana was teetering on the brink of elimination, the team made a swift and complete recovery.
They will now meet the Thunder one last time on Sunday night (8 ET, ABC) at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, marking the first Game 7 of the Finals since 2016.
Thanks to a remarkable turnaround in the first quarter, Indiana dodged elimination and pushed Oklahoma City to deliver their best against a fully revitalized opponent.
The game got off to a disastrous start for Indiana, with eight attempts resulting in eight misses. Just three minutes into the game, coach Rick Carlisle called a “Whoa-whoa-whoa” timeout as OKC pulled ahead 10-2 after Chet Holmgren’s layup. Myles Turner’s subsequent layup attempt was swatted away by Isaiah Hartenstein. It was an alarming beginning.
However, the rejection fell into the hands of Pascal Siakam, who skillfully hit a 17-foot jumper. Siakam then converted another rebound into a fast break, completing a flip shot while getting fouled by Lu Dort for an and-1 opportunity.
The next three minutes saw Indiana recalibrating, as Andrew Nembhard, looking to redeem himself after a shaky finish in Game 5, scored eight straight points following Siakam’s quick five.
Obi Toppin also got involved, executing two 3-pointers with confidence. On the next possession, Toppin attempted a heat check on a third 3, which he missed, but Turner recovered the ball, passing it to Haliburton, who drained a shot from 27 feet, reassured the crowd that he was back and fit to play.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called a timeout to halt the 22-7 run. By that time, the Pacers led 24-17. The lead fluctuated between one and 31 over the remaining 40 minutes, but Indiana never fell behind again, ultimately winning 108-91.
There would be no celebratory moment on their home court or any sticky champagne residues in the visitors’ locker room. The Larry O’Brien Trophy remains eagerly contested.
The team’s scoring run was vital, but more important was how the Pacers effectively utilized multiple players, discovering they could rely on a nearly full roster.
Siakam, for instance, had guided them through numerous challenges in both this postseason and series. Nembhard, tasked with guarding OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander—the NBA’s scoring champion and 2025 MVP—was also expected to contribute offensively. He finished with 17 points, just four short of SGA, while achieving a plus-minus rating of plus-19. In contrast, his defensive counterpart’s rating was minus-17.
Toppin’s eight points in the first quarter highlighted Indiana’s depth, and by the end of the third quarter—when the Pacers led 90-60—Indiana’s bench had outscored OKC’s 31-6. Toppin totaled 15 points at that stage, while T.J. McConnell contributed eight off the bench. The Thunder’s reserve players, in 61 combined minutes, managed just 2-for-9 shooting.
As for Haliburton, he resumed his role as a playmaker effectively. Although his stats weren’t overly impressive (14 points on 5-for-12 shooting, one rebound, five assists, and two steals), he moved fluidly and displayed his infectious smile. The Prince of the Fieldhouse was back to making long outlet passes and delivering no-look assists to Siakam for a dunk that extended Indiana’s lead to 20.
One standout statistic did emerge: Haliburton recorded a plus-25, the highest in the game.
“He is incredibly important to us. The key was that there wasn’t much tension surrounding his condition. He was straightforward and did everything possible to be on the court. Fortunately, we managed his minutes well due to our strong first half and good start to the third quarter,” Carlisle remarked on Haliburton.
Daigneault commented on his attempts to disrupt the Pacers’ momentum: “The timeout strategy is an art. I used five before the seven-minute mark of the third. There’s a limit to what you can do. We need to be able to adapt to situations during the game. Stopping the action whenever possible was my aim. Our ability to make adjustments is vital.”
Toppin praised McConnell’s impact on the game: “T.J. brings a unique energy whenever he steps onto the court. The crowd loves him, and he feeds off that spirit. He had a fantastic start, sparking our rhythm.”
Thunder guard Alex Caruso stated, “We played into their strengths and tried too much one-on-one. They were aggressive defensively and we were slow in our rotations, straying from our successful strategies.”
Caruso also reflected on the impending Game 7: “While we might have preferred to wrap it up in four games, if you told me I had one chance to win the title, I would take it at the start of the year.”
Regardless of the outcome, both teams swiftly shifted their focus away from Game 6, as well as the earlier five games that preceded it.
In Game 7, the slate resets almost entirely. It feels akin to a Super Bowl, a single-elimination event that retains some echoes and themes from the initial six games, presenting an opportunity for either team or individual player to alter the narrative.
The NBA is poised to crown its seventh different champion in as many years by stretching the Finals to a climactic seventh game. It’s a scenario the league could only hope for, with the outcome of the final 48 minutes still unwritten.
* * *
Steve Aschburner has reported on the NBA since 1980. Feel free to email him here, check out his archive here, and follow him on X.
The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA, its franchises, or Warner Bros. Discovery.
