The Indiana Pacers delivered a dominant performance on Thursday night, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to force a decisive Game 7, MySportDab Reports.
With star guard Tyrese Haliburton cleared to play just hours before tipoff despite a right calf injury, the Pacers responded with a complete team effort in front of their home fans.
Haliburton contributed 14 points, five assists, and two steals, showing little sign of the injury that hampered him in Game 5.
“We just wanted to protect home court,” Haliburton said. “Backs against the wall, we just responded.”
Obi Toppin led Indiana’s scoring with 20 points off the bench, while Andrew Nembhard added 17 and Pascal Siakam notched a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Pacers’ bench outscored the Thunder’s reserves 48-37.
After a slow start, Indiana surged in the second quarter, outscoring Oklahoma City 34-18 to take a commanding 64-42 halftime lead. Haliburton’s no-look assist to Siakam for a thunderous dunk, followed by a buzzer-beating jumper from the Cameroonian forward, capped a dominant first half.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points but committed eight of the team’s 21 turnovers. Jalen Williams, coming off a 40-point game, was held to 16 points and missed all four of his three-point attempts.
The Thunder, who won a league-best 68 regular-season games, pulled their starters early in the fourth quarter after falling behind by 30.
Game 7, the first in the NBA Finals since 2016, will take place in Oklahoma City on Sunday. The Thunder are chasing their first title since relocating from Seattle, while the Pacers seek their first NBA championship.
“All cards on the table,” Haliburton said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
