After a 4-game road trip, the Oklahoma City Thunder is back home for the first time in 11 days, hosting the Indiana Pacers. OKC sits atop the NBA standings with the best record by far, but the Pacers have struggled all season long, and they are currently at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference. This game should have made for a fun Finals rematch, but the Pacers have struggled with long-term injuries to key players—namely Tyrese Haliburton—, and as a result, they have struggled to compete.
The Pacers look a little different from just a couple of months ago. Tyrese Halliburton will miss quite a bit of time after tearing his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and big man Myles Turner signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. Without their two best players from the Finals, Indiana isn’t likely to have the same type of success that they had a season ago. Still, tonight’s matchup should offer plenty of drama and excitement.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | Game #2 Preview: Indiana Pacers
Despite the NBA Finals going to 7 games back in June, the Pacers are not who they were a couple of months ago. Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7, Myles Turner is in Milwaukee with the Bucks, and Indiana didn’t add anyone to the roster to help swing the needle back the other direction. Even with Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace questionable to play, as well as a handful of guys already out for OKC, I’m taking the Thunder to cover the spread on this one.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | Finals Rematch Features OKC as Favorite on the Road
If you had told Thunder fans at the beginning of the season that their team would be playing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, they’d have been thrilled. It’s hard to say that’s the exact sentiment currently, considering this could have been decided on Thursday night, but none of that matters now. The stats, the odds, the expectations…none of that counts once the whistle blows, the ball is thrown in the air, and the two best teams in the NBA go head-to-head for one final game to decide who gets to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | NBA Finals Game 7 Preview: Indiana Pacers
The unexpected happened in Game 6 when not only did Indiana manage to force a Game 7, but they dominated the Thunder. Now, the final matchup to decide the NBA Champion is expected to be a close one. I think the unexpected happens again, and we see OKC return to their dominant play, winning this one by double digits and etching their names in history.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | OKC is a Solid Favorite Over Pacers in Finals Game 7
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.
View More Pacers Jump On Thunder Early in Game 6 of NBA Finals to Force Game 7
For the first time in franchise history, the Oklahoma City Thunder has an opportunity to bring home a Larry O’Brien Trophy as they look to close out the Indiana Pacers on the road in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. After a dominating first half in Game 5, the Thunder nearly allowed the Pacers another comeback victory as Indiana cut their deficit to 2 in the fourth quarter. Still, OKC answered in a big way as Jalen Williams recorded a game-high 40 points to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 31 points, 10 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | NBA Finals Game 6 Preview: Indiana Pacers
OKC has an opportunity to close out the series and win the franchise’s first NBA Championship, and with Tyrese Haliburton questionable to play, that’s enough to think the Thunder should be able to win comfortably. Still, “The cusp of winning is not winning,” as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put it. This team may be young, but they know what needs to be done, and I think they have what it takes to win on the road in a convincing manner, thus covering the spread.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | OKC Favored for Finals Game 6 in Closeout Opportunity On the Road
The facts say that the Thunder is the better team, and the records say as much, so if OKC can forget the poor shooting night in Game 4, forget the talk about how they’re “too young,” and forget the fact that so many people want them to lose for any number of reasons, then they can get back to what got them to this point, take care of business in Game 5, and head back to Indianapolis with an opportunity to close out the series and bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | NBA Finals Game 5 Preview: Indiana Pacers
Midway through the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Finals, the Thunder looked all but headed towards a 3-1 deficit. The Pacers’ shooting cooled off, OKC made several hustle plays and key stops, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over to lead the Thunder to victory and a tied series. Game 5 will likely decide the outcome of the series, and after OKC snatched momentum at the end of Game 4, I think that, plus home-court advantage, is enough to help the Thunder not just win the game, but win it big.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | OKC Enters Pivotal Game 5 Against Pacers as Heavy Home Favorite