It was win or go home for the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at Gainbridge Arena on Thursday night. Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton was a game-time decision due to a calf strain, but he gave it a go and was effective enough.
Led by Obi Toppin’s 20 points off the bench, Indiana had seven players in double figures as they routed the Thunder 108-91 to even the series at 3.
Game 7 is Sunday night in OKC.
The Pacers’ dominance in Game 6 was a sight to behold. They led by as many as 31 points, taking control in the second quarter. After OKC’s Jalen Williams’ two free throws cut the Pacers’ lead to 34-33, Indiana unleashed their power, outscoring the Thunder 30-9 the rest of the quarter, including an impressive 11-0 run.
Indiana would take a 64-42 lead at halftime, and the game was pretty much over from there.
Andrew Nembhard had 17 points for the Pacers; Pascal Siakam added 16 points and 13 rebounds; Haliburton chipped in with 14 points and five assists; and T.J. McConnell was sensational off the bench with 12 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 21 but eight turnovers.
The Thunder had 21 turnovers in Game 6.
Bottom Line:
The Indiana Pacers entered Game 6 with a clear mission. They came out with a lot of energy and fed off their home crowd. Haliburton moved fairly well, and of course, they got contributions from everybody.
Now, it’s the two best words in sports, “Game 7.” Obviously, in a Game 7 situation, you favor the home team. However, in these playoffs, Indiana has been excellent on the road and has proven it can win in OKC.
For the Pacers to win, Haliburton must be healthy enough, and Indiana must have an “X factor.”
On Thursday, it was Toppin.
For OKC, they must feed off their home crowd and be the team that has been all season long.
Leave a Reply