Indiana has forced the two best words in sports.
With their backs against the wall at home, the Pacers crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals Thursday, facing a winner-takes-all scenario in Game 7.
The game was close after one, but Indiana used a 36-17 differential in the second quarter to pull away, followed by a 26-18 advantage in the third. The Pacers led by as much as 31, but saw the final score get cut into by the Thunder in garbage time.
Tyrese Haliburton played through a calf strain that’s typically a multi-week injury and recorded 14 points and five assists in 23 minutes, while shooting 5 of 12 from the field and 3 of 7 from deep. The blowout score provided Haliburton some extra key minutes of rest.
Obi Toppin led Indiana in scoring with 20 points off the bench, mainly helping keep the cushion safe in the fourth quarter. Backup point guard T.J. McConnell played 24 minutes off the bench and added 12 points on 6 of 12 shooting.
Haliburton was aided in the starting lineup by Andrew Nembhard’s 17 points, as the shooting guard maximized his touches on 5 of 7 shooting overall, with a 3 of 5 clip from deep. Pascal Siakam shot 6 of 14 overall for 16 points and 13 rebounds. The only Indiana starter who did not reach double figures was center Myles Turner, who had three points on a 1 of 9 clip from the field.
Oklahoma City’s star duo of league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and possible Finals MVP candidate Jalen Williams were kept in check. Gilgeous-Alexander was held to 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting with 7 of 8 free throws, four rebounds and two assists, while turning the rock over eight times. Williams mustered 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting.
Chet Holmgren, the Thunder’s star big man, had it even worse with just four points on 2 of 9 shooting and six rebounds. Oklahoma City also shot just 8 of 30 from downtown, a clip of 26.7%. Indiana wasn’t explosive at 35.7%, but had the volume edge with 15 of 42 makes.
That’s also before mentioning Indiana’s 68% free-throw rate on 25 attempts, while the Thunder had 80.8% on 26 attempts. The Thunder also turned it over 10 more times than Indiana (21 to 11), with OKC conceding 19 points off mistakes to the Pacers’ 13.
With both teams vying for their first ever NBA championship, everything is on the line in the final game of the season.
Game 7 in Oklahoma City is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT.
Here are five things to know about Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.
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