The Indiana Pacers are one win away from an NBA championship, and they made sure Oklahoma City didn’t celebrate on their court to get there.
Behind a balanced attack and stifling defense, the Pacers rolled to a decisive 108-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, evening the NBA Finals at three games apiece and setting up a dramatic Game 7 on Sunday night in Oklahoma City — the league’s first Finals Game 7 since 2016.
Obi Toppin led Indiana with 20 points in a performance full of energy and hustle. Andrew Nembhard added 17 points, and Pascal Siakam tallied a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton, battling through a strained calf, contributed 14 gritty points, and T.J. McConnell came off the bench to spark the team with 12 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
The Pacers trailed 10-2 out of the gate and missed their first eight shots, a start that hushed Gainbridge Fieldhouse after an electric pregame buzz. But once they found their rhythm, they unleashed a wave of scoring and pressure that overwhelmed the Thunder. Indiana outscored Oklahoma City 68-32 over a blistering 24-minute stretch, flipping the early deficit into a 28-point second-half lead.
It was a microcosm of the Pacers’ unpredictable but resilient season — one that started with 15 losses in their first 25 games and has been filled with remarkable playoff comebacks. This time, it wasn’t a comeback. It was domination.
“We just wanted to protect home court,” Haliburton said. “We didn’t want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our floor. Our backs were against the wall and we just responded. Total team effort.”
Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, a Pacers icon, was courtside wearing a Jalen Rose jersey, pacing and visibly tense early on — until Indiana’s surge brought the crowd and the legends to life.
The Thunder, meanwhile, were left searching for answers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points but didn’t play in the fourth quarter after Indiana blew the game wide open. Jalen Williams added 16 points, but the Thunder trailed by as many as 31 — their second-largest deficit all season. The only worse showing came in the Western Conference finals when they fell behind Minnesota by 45, only to rally and win that series. Now, they’ll have to summon that same resolve in Game 7.
Oklahoma City tried to spark a second-half run by inserting defensive ace Alex Caruso into the starting lineup over Isaiah Hartenstein, but neither team could get going out of the break. The first 3:53 of the third quarter featured 13 consecutive missed shots, and the Thunder never seriously threatened after that.
Game 7 awaits, with history looming. Home teams are 15-4 all-time in Game 7s of the NBA Finals — a stat that favors the Thunder. But one of those four road wins came in 2016, when Cleveland stunned Golden State. Another came in 1978, when Seattle — the franchise that would eventually relocate to Oklahoma City — lost at home to Washington.
The Pacers hope to write their own chapter in NBA lore. The Thunder want to avoid joining a painful legacy.
Tipoff for Game 7 is Sunday night at Paycom Center. One team will leave with its first title of the 21st century. The other will be left wondering how it slipped away.
