Pacers force historic Game 7 after dominating Thunder 108-91
Jun 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) celebrates after a play in the third quarter during game six of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
With their backs against the wall, the Indiana Pacers delivered a masterful team performance to crush the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA playoff finals. This victory forces a decisive Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City, the first in an NBA Finals since 2016.
Pacers’ team play at its finest
Despite Tyrese Haliburton’s calf injury, the Pacers found the necessary resources to extend their title dream. The point guard held strong with 14 points and 5 assists in just 23 minutes, reassuring about his physical condition after making three three-pointers in the first half.
Taking the lead early, Indiana’s collective effort shined with seven players scoring 7 points or more. Obi Toppin particularly stood out off the bench with 20 points on 4/7 three-point shooting, while Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and three steals. Pascal Siakam recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, highlighted by a spectacular dunk at the end of the first half off a blind pass from Haliburton.
« I just tried to get the crowd into the game, and they were incredible, » said Siakam after his performance. « Big shoutout to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, it was electric. » The 2019 NBA champion gave the Pacers a 22-point lead at halftime with a buzzer-beater (64-42). The lead grew even larger (90-60 at the end of the third quarter) for the home team.
Tyrese Haliburton’s no-look dime to Pascal Siakam for the poster in phantom 🤩 pic.twitter.com/iSrrzTCkBp
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 20, 2025
Thunder unrecognizable under pressure
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a nightmare evening, particularly Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who turned the ball over eight times, matching his career high. « The way I see it is that we were terrible tonight, » the Thunder superstar admitted bluntly after the game. « We need to learn from this, and we still have one game to validate what we’ve always worked for, and so do they. »
Oklahoma City’s team finished 8/30 from three-point range and committed 21 total turnovers. Mark Daigneault pulled his starters at the beginning of the fourth quarter, already focused on Game 7, which allowed Ousmane Dieng to play 3 minutes (scoring 3 points on 1/3 shooting). « For us, this was unusual, » the Thunder coach acknowledged. « It was disappointing. It was collective. »
The Pacers’ aggressive defense particularly disrupted the Thunder’s offensive rhythm, who didn’t score their first basket of the third quarter until after five minutes of play. This disappointing performance contrasts with the expectations placed on this team favored to win the title.
Game 7 now shapes up as an epic duel between two teams with opposing profiles: on one side the Pacers and their unpredictable collective play, on the other the Thunder and their talented individuals who will need to redeem themselves at home on Sunday.
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