NBA Finals 2025: Indiana Pacers Stay In Hunt For Championship With Demoliton Of OKC Thunder In Game 6

The Indiana Pacers refuse to give in and give up against the OKC Thunder, and now we have a thrilling Game 7 in the NBA Finals to look forward to.

Obi Toppin scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17, and the determined Indiana Pacers pushed the NBA Finals to a decisive Game 7 by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday night.

Pascal Siakam contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton, playing despite a strained calf, scored 14 points. The Pacers started off slowly but eventually turned the game into a rout.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for the Thunder, who benched their starters after falling behind by 30 points going into the fourth quarter. Jalen Williams added 16 points.

Game 7, the first in the NBA Finals since 2016, will take place Sunday night in Oklahoma City.

The good news for the Thunder is that home teams have a 15-4 record in the ultimate game to decide a title. However, the bad news is that Cleveland won at Golden State in the most recent NBA Finals Game 7, and one of the other three home-team losses was in 1978, by Seattle, the franchise that would relocate to Oklahoma City three decades later.

Indiana missed its first eight shots and trailed 10-2. The arena, which was loud just moments before, fell silent.

But there was no need for concern. Because after the slow start, the Pacers outscored the Thunder 68-32 over the next 24 minutes.

An Indiana team that hadn’t led by more than 10 points at any time in the first five games—and that brief double-digit lead—led by 28 early in the third quarter. The margin eventually reached 31 points, Oklahoma City’s second-largest deficit of the season.

In a bid for a spark, the Thunder started Alex Caruso in place of Isaiah Hartenstein for the second half to no avail.

TJ McConnell, once again a genuine spark off the bench, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and six assists for Indiana.

(with agency inputs)