Thunder vs. Pacers: Live updates, highlights from Game 6 of 2025 NBA finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder inched one step closer to an NBA championship in Monday's Game 5 with a dominant 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers to take a 3-2 series lead, and now have the opportunity to close it out with a road win Thursday night.
Most of the question marks heading into this game surround the health of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who suffered a calf injury in Game 5 that limited him to just four total points (all free throws) over 34 minutes, including an 0-for-6 showing from the field.
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Haliburton is playing. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle announced before tip that Haliburton performed well in pregame strength testing and will play without a minutes restriction in the elimination game for Indiana. The Pacers will need a strong performance from him and Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam to keep the series going.
The Thunder, who split their first two games in Indianapolis this series, will look for NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to continue his impressive playoff run, averaging 32.4 points per game in this Finals series. He and teammate Jalen Williams combined for a stunning 71 points in Game 5 to take the lead in the series.
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Should the Pacers tie up the series with a win Thursday night, Game 7 would be played Sunday, June 22 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Date: Thursday, June 19
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, Indiana
TV channel: ABC
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New York Times
9 minutes ago
- New York Times
Pacers-Thunder Game 7 means predictions and all-time NBA Finals rankings
The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic's daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. Maybe you haven't been interested in the Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals. It's possible the markets, stars or stories aren't interesting to you. If you're a big enough basketball fan to subscribe to this newsletter, I implore you to watch Game 7 on Sunday. It's been a phenomenal series, and a fantastic finish is on the way. NBA Finals glory almost a decade in the making Tyrese Haliburton had a bad wheel due to his calf strain. The Thunder smelled blood in the water. And the Pacers were still licking their wounds from blowing a chance to go up 3-1 at home in Game 4, when they allowed the Thunder to give them a taste of their own medicine – dominating fourth quarters for a big comeback. So, it's not a shock that so many people assumed the Thunder would go into Indianapolis last night and make that visiting locker room stink of champagne and stain the hardwood floor on the court with Pacers regret. Advertisement When the Pacers started the game 0-of-8 from the field, it looked like it might be an early wrap, but they settled themselves and started making shots. And then, after a poor close to the first quarter, they went on a monster 30-9 run in the last 8:51 of the second quarter to give themselves a 22-point lead at halftime. It took the Thunder until the 5:03 mark in the third quarter to score their first basket. It was a 30-point lead entering the final period, so Indiana knew it had one more game to play. It's hard to win an NBA title! Who knew?! The Thunder turned the ball over an inordinate amount of times, racking up 21 turnovers to the Pacers' 11 and allowing 19 points off those turnovers to the Pacers' 13. Before the Thunder waved the Ajay Mitchell flag, Indiana's bench was outscoring OKC's 31-6. And the Pacers used timely traps and double teams to force eight turnovers by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder laid an egg so big that it could have filled up every buffet chafing dish in Las Vegas. After the game, SGA mentioned the thought of the opportunity to clinch the first title was in the back of his mind, and he thought he could draw on the experience of not wanting to lose Game 7 against Denver in the second round to persevere on Sunday. On NBA TV, Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas said losing in the second round and losing a Game 7 (1988 NBA Finals against the Lakers) are not even close to the same thing. Perhaps the youth of the Thunder still comes through at certain times, but it's not like the Pacers have much championship experience outside of Pascal Siakam. T.J. McConnell dominated the Thunder for the second straight game. Adding 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals in 24 minutes off the bench might now sound like domination, but he completely controlled the game when he was in. And now, both teams have their backs against the walls in the tiniest octagon in sports: Game 7. Game 7 is on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC (or try FUBO for free!). You can also watch the Pregame Live Show on the NBA App and all of their socials (including YouTube page) with myself, Mo Dakhil, Alexis Morgan and Atlanta Hawk Georges Niang from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET for a pregame show that doesn't just have a bunch of shouting, incongruent statements! Best prospects in the last two decades 🏀 Measuring up. Cooper Flagg is another highly touted No. 1 pick. How does he look compared to other past prospects? He's higher than you think! 💰 New dawn. The Lakers' sale was a shocking moment and price tag. And it will change how ownership works. 💸 Big extension. The Rockets denied the Knicks and then gave Ime Udoka a new deal. 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That makes some sense, considering home teams typically win these matchups. Here are some stats from NBA Finals Game 7s to consider: Most of these NBA Finals Game 7s have not happened in the modern era (post-NBA/ABA merger in 1976). Eight of the 19 matchups have happened since the merger, and Sunday will be the fifth one in the last 20 years. These are simply rare, to say the least. Here are the four teams that did the unfathomable and won on the road: Game 7s are so rare in the modern era that Draymond Green is tied with Shane Battier for the most 3-pointers made in an NBA Finals Game 7 with six. That sounds like I could have made up that statistic, but it's true! Green had a massive Game 7 with 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in the losing effort in 2016. Advertisement As you pore over this Game 7 data, there is no rhyme or reason for the road team winning. It just feels random, which is also how the Pacers being in this position feels to a lot of people. 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Spurs 4-3 over Pistons (2005): There were two and a half close games in this series, and the first four were unwatchable. It went seven, though. 7. Celtics 4-2 over Lakers (2008): Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen came through over Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, all on their first journeys together. 6. Warriors 4-2 over Cavaliers (2015): Kind of marred by the Cavs injuries, but still very fun. 5. Thunder 3-3 v. Pacers (2025): Is this too high? Is that crazy? Are you just dismissive because of the two markets? (This ranking go up or down based on Sunday's result.) 4. Mavericks 4-2 over Heat (2011): Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs absolutely embarrassed the Heatles. 3. Lakers 4-3 over Celtics (2010): It was an ugly but dramatic ending. This series had it all, plus the two storied franchises. 2. Heat 4-3 over Spurs (2013): The Ray Allen shot that saved the Heat, plus an epic Tim Duncan and LeBron James duel in Game 7. 1. 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That's not a good sign for a 32-year-old player with five years remaining at $8.5 million. Still, Zibanejad fits the Hurricanes' mold. He can play in all situations, would add size in the middle and is a coveted right-handed pivot. A trade in the division seems unlikely, though, and there are several aforementioned red flags. The Islanders seem content to keep both Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau — who could be on the block with one year at $5 million left on his contract — would just give Carolina another third-liner. Utah's Nick Schmaltz (one year, $5.85 million) also seems like a fringe option. Advertisement Here are a few other off-the-radar options to keep in mind: • Vegas is apparently interested in Marner. That would require the Golden Knights to move out money, especially considering Eichel has just a year left on his contract. Could Tomas Hertl be on the move in Vegas? He'll be 32 in November and has five years left with a $6.75 million cap hit (thanks to San Jose retaining some of the contract), but he scored 32 goals last year and is a handful at 6-3, 220 pounds. Hertl was held without a point in Vegas' five-game playoff exit against Edmonton. • If Steve Yzerman wants to shake up things with the Red Wings, Dylan Larkin (five years, $8.7 million annually) could give the Hurricanes a one-two punch down the middle. He's been surpassed by the younger Lucas Raymond in Detroit, and Larkin has admitted to being frustrated by the team's nine-year playoff drought. Is Larkin a superstar? No, but he'd certainly solidify Carolina down the middle. • Elias Lindholm's first season in Boston was a nightmare, and Brind'Amour has long admired Carolina's 2013 No. 5 overall pick. The Bruins likely don't want to give up on the 30-year-old yet, but if they do, his six years at $7.75 million looks much more palatable now, with the salary cap exploding upward, than it did last offseason. He'd also check the right-handed box. • Nashville's Steven Stamkos (three years, $8 million) and Ryan O'Reilly (two years, $4.5 million) are fading options, and the Predators' trade for Erik Haula sure makes it seem like Barry Trotz is doubling down on an aging roster. It's a thin UFA class, though Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett is poised to break the bank. Even though he'd fill a lot of Carolina's needs — a big, physical agitator who steps up in the postseason — it's worth remembering that this year was his first season eclipsing 50 points. Additionally, his style often leads to a decline in play. Bennett, who turned 29 Friday, will surely cash in, probably earning close to or more than Aho's $9.75 million annually. What will that contract look like in three, four or five years, let alone seven? It just doesn't seem like a move that's in the Hurricanes' DNA. Advertisement The rest of the free-agent class is underwhelming. Claude Giroux is 37 and plays primarily on the wing these days. Mikael Granlund and Jamie Benn are similarly more suited to the wing, and Christian Dvorak would be a downgrade from Kotkaniemi. Carolina could go this route with the aforementioned Rossi. The Hurricanes, however, are currently without their third-round pick in 2026, which would be part of the compensation in the range of the deal Rossi can expect. JJ Peterka, Morgan Geekie, Dmitri Voronkov, Mavrik Bourque and Gabriel Vilardi are intriguing, but all have primarily been wingers in the NHL and certainly aren't proven second-line centers. (Photo of Marco Rossi: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
