Thunder on the wrong end of 36-9 run, head home for Game 7 showdown against resilient Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The run lasted about 12 minutes, roughly the span of a full quarter. When it started, Oklahoma City was down by just one point. And when it ended, plans for Game 7 were being made.
There was no championship celebration for the Thunder on Thursday night — and their first chance at winning these NBA Finals was a colossal dud. Oklahoma City got blown out 108-91 by the Indiana Pacers in Game 6, sending the series back to the Thunder's home floor for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday night.
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The margin didn't reflect how one-sided the game was. Indiana led by as many as 31, the second-biggest lead a team has held over Oklahoma City all season.
It was 34-33 Indiana with about four minutes gone in the second quarter. And about four minutes into the third quarter, it was 70-42 Indiana — the game having completely gotten away from the Thunder.
The run was 36-9 — repeat, 36-9 — and just like that, a team that won 68 games in the regular season and finished with the best record in the NBA has been pushed to the brink by an Indiana team that finished 18 games back of the Thunder in the league standings.
They're even now: The series is 3-3, and it all comes down to Sunday.
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During that 36-9 run, the Thunder were offensively inept: They shot 3 for 18 during those minutes, with seven turnovers in there to make matters even worse.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
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