The NBA Finals will have a nerve-shredding conclusion on Sunday after the Indiana Pacers dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night to level the series at 3-3.
Despite their star man Tyrese Haliburton nursing a calf injury, the Pacers blew their opponents away with an emphatic 108-91 victory on their home court.
It means the thrilling series will now be decided on Sunday night when the action moves back to Oklahoma for a decisive Game 7, the first one in the NBA Finals since 2016.
Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, while Haliburton scored 14 points for the Pacers, who started slowly and then turned things into a blowout.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for the Thunder, who pulled their starters from the game when they trailed by 30 going into the fourth. Jalen Williams added 16.
There is optimism for Oklahoma as they prepare to host Game 7: home teams are 15-4 in the ultimate game to decide a title.
Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder blew their first chance to win the NBA Championship
However, Cleveland won at Golden State in the most recent NBA Finals Game 7 and one of the three other home-team losses was in 1978 – by Seattle, the franchise that would move to Oklahoma City three decades later.
Indiana missed its first eight shots and got down 10-2. The arena, roaring just a few minutes before at the start, quieted quickly.
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 double-digit lead was brief – led by 28 early in the third quarter.
The margin eventually got to 31, which was Oklahoma City’s second-biggest deficit of the season.
The Thunder, desperate for a spark, put Alex Caruso in the starting lineup in place of Isaiah Hartenstein to open the second half.
There was no spark. In fact, there was nothing whatsoever – neither team scored in the first 3:53 after halftime, the sides combining to miss their first 13 shots of the third quarter.
TJ McConnell, the spark off the bench again, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Indiana.
