Pacers' TJ McConnell Makes Massive NBA Finals History
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The Indiana Pacers received yet another impressive performance off of the bench from backup point guard T.J. McConnell on Thursday night in their dominant 108-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
With their season on the line, the Pacers made it clear that they're not quite ready for the season to end. The win has set up a winner-take-all Game 7 in Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
In the win, McConnell was once again the energizer bunny for Indiana. He came off the bench to play 24 minutes, scoring 12 points on 6-for-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
T.J. McConnell #9 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter in Game Six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 19, 2025 in...
T.J. McConnell #9 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter in Game Six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. More
Photo byMcConnell was once again a part of a bench explosion in the scoring column for the Pacers. As a whole, the Indiana bench scored 48 points.
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Obi Toppin led the team in scoring. He came off the bench to score 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting and knocked down four of his seven three-point attempts.
Behind Toppin, the Pacers saw Andrew Nembhard score 17 points, Pascal Siakam chip in with 16 points and 13 rebounds, Tyrese Haliburton score 14 points despite dealing with a calf strain, McConnell score 12, and Aaron Nesmith put up 10.
On Friday morning, Indiana took to social media to share that McConnell has now made massive NBA Finals history.
According to the Pacers' post on X, McConnell is the first bench player in NBA history to have 60 or more points, 25 or more assists, and 15 or more rebounds in the NBA Finals.
the first bench player in @nba history to have 60+ points, 25+ assists and 15+ rebounds in the NBA Finals:
T.J. McConnell 😤 pic.twitter.com/i2w0Zfr9dp — Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 20, 2025
Needless to say, the 33-year-old point guard is one of the main reasons the Pacers are still alive. Their season comes to one game on Sunday. If they win, they are NBA champions, but if they lose, their magical season comes to a heartbreaking end.
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So far in six games in the NBA Finals, McConnell has averaged 11.3 points, 4.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game in the second unit. He has shot 53.7 percent from the floor and has knocked down three of his five attempts from the three-point arc.
If Indiana wants to pull off the shocking upset win in Game 7, McConnell will need to be a big part of it. Fans can be sure that he'll bring a lot of energy to the court on Sunday evening.
That being said, Game 7 is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday. The Pacers and Thunder will both be looking to close out a championship in the final game of the 2024-25 NBA season.
For more on the Indiana Pacers and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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