Indiana Pacers beat OKC Thunder in NBA Finals to force Game 7
The Indiana Pacers have evened the NBA Finals with a 108-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 in Indianapolis.
The series will go to a winner-take-all seventh game for the first time since 2016, with Game Seven in Oklahoma City on Monday morning (AEST).
There was little drama on Thursday, with Indiana jumping ahead in the first quarter and never relinquishing the lead, aided largely by Obi Toppin's 20 points off the bench.
Andrew Nembhard added 17 points while Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds to move the Pacers within one win of their first NBA title.
League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but had a play-off career-worst eight turnovers and just two assists. Jalen Williams, who scored 40 points in Game 5, finished with just 16 points.
Trailing by 30 entering the final quarter, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault pulled his starters, opting to save them for Game 7.
Oklahoma City shot just 8/30 (26.7 per cent) from beyond the arc — 1/11 in the first half.
The Thunder put up their lowest point total of the regular season or post-season. Their previous low was 92 in a second-round Game 4 over the Denver Nuggets.
A number of former Indiana stars were in the stands to watch, including Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, Ron Artest and Lance Stephenson.
The victory sends the finals to a decider for the first time in nine years, when LeBron James's Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a stunning comeback from 3-1 down to beat the 73-win Golden State Warriors.
Reuters
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