The Oklahoma City Thunder had an opportunity to close out the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, and it looked like they were going to do just that after a solid first few minutes of the game. The Thunder squandered their chance, though, succumbing to Indiana’s pressure, and the result was about as ugly a game as you could imagine. In the end, it was Indiana that celebrated a 108-91 win, sending the series back to OKC for Game 7.
1st Quarter: All About the Runs
The Thunder started the game off strong, taking a 10-2 lead as the Pacers failed to make a shot in their first 8 attempts from the floor. Following a timeout by Rick Carlisle at the 8:26 mark, however, Indiana scored 8 straight to start a 24-7 run that would give the Pacers a 26-17 lead with 3:27 left in the period. OKC hit back with an 8-2 run of their own to finish out the 1st quarter trailing 28-25.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams scored 7 points each, but some brutal turnovers by the two gave the Pacers crowd the energy they needed early to keep their team in this. Add to it that Indiana hit 5 threes to just 1 by OKC, and the Thunder were lucky to only be down by 3.
2nd Quarter: The Turning of the Tide
SGA opened up the second quarter with a step-back jumper to cut the deficit to 1, and for a few minutes, the teams traded buckets, and it was a close game. With 8:52 remaining in the half, Jalen Williams hit a pair of free throws to put the Thunder within 1 yet again at 34-33, but it didn’t last long.
The Pacers scored 11 straight points to take a 12-point lead with 5:22 left in the period, and the run continued as Indiana outscored OKC 36-17 in the quarter to take a 64-42 lead into halftime.
OKC’s turnover issues continued as they racked up 7 more, bringing their first-half total to 12, while Indiana had just 2. The 3-point woes also prevailed for the Thunder as they missed all 6 attempts. Despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams combining for 31 points in the first half, they had a combined X turnovers and 0 assists.
3rd Quarter: An Attempt Was Made
A 22-point deficit is nothing short of a mountain to overcome, particularly when we’re talking about an NBA Finals game, but OKC has had their fair share of comebacks this season. The third quarter was an ugly start for both teams, though, as neither team scored for the first 3:53 before Tyrese Haliburton scored on a layup, forcing Mark Daigneault to call a timeout.
Indiana extended its lead to 28, making it 70-42 with 7:15 to go in the third as the Thunder still couldn’t make a shot, missing 5 more threes in the process. Daigneault called another timeout, and SGA found Isaiah Hartenstein for an alley-oop dunk at the 6:58 mark to finally get the Thunder on the board. That was the start of an 11-2 run for OKC as they cut into the deficit to make it 73-54 with 5:15 left in the third.
That was as close as the Thunder would get in the period, though, as the Pacers answered with a 17-6 run to finish the quarter with a 90-60 lead, effectively ending any chance at a comeback.
4th Quarter: Conceding Victory
OKC pulled the starters for the final period, looking ahead to Game 7. While the final 12 minutes of this game did not affect the eventual outcome, it was nice to see the bench come out and play with some intensity as they outscored the Pacers 31-18.
Jaylin Williams had a particularly nice showing, scoring 7 points and pulling down 5 rebounds as he played all 12 minutes of the final frame. Ajay Mitchell also played all 12 minutes, recording 2 points and 4 assists.
Notable Stats
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but he finished with a game-high 8 turnovers, and he recorded 0 assists.
- Jalen Williams had a solid start before finishing with 16 points, but he had a +/- of -40, the lowest in a Finals game ever in the play-by-play era.
- The Thunder made just 3-of-20 attempts (15%) through the first three quarters before finishing 8-of-30 (26.7%) overall.
- The Pacers finished with 18 more shots than the Thunder due to winning the turnover battle by 10 and pulling down 7 more offensive rebounds.
- Indiana had 6 players finish in double digits, while OKC had just 4.
Game 7 on Sunday
Sports fans love a Game 7, but I’m pretty sure Thunder fans were hoping to close out the Finals in Game 6. It may be difficult for Oklahoma City to find even an ounce of optimism headed into a winner-take-all game after such a disappointing night, but if you can remove emotions from the equation, you still have to like the Thunder’s chances at winning the championship.
In the regular season and postseason this year, OKC is 18-2 following a loss, with 12 of those wins coming by double digits. The Thunder were in the same situation in the Western Conference Semifinals just a few weeks ago. After a close win at home in Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets, the series looked all but wrapped up as OKC traveled to Denver as the favorite to win Game 6 before a surprising loss. The Thunder followed that up with a dominating Game 7 victory.
While Thunder fans shouldn’t expect a 30-point win over the Pacers in Game 7, they should expect the home team to come out on top. This game, this series, this championship is OKC’s to lose, and they simply have to play like they are the better team because, in all reality, they are the better team. So, while it may feel like Indiana has all the momentum in the world, don’t forget that Loud City is called such for good reason.
After the game, Mark Daigneault had plenty to say, but he kept it real and stayed calm: “We’ll regroup, get back to zero, learn from it with clear eyes like we always do, and get ourselves as ready as we can be to play Game 7.” Sunday night is set up to be a night to remember, and if all goes as it should, the Thunder will be hoisting the Larry O’Brien at the end of it.
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