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New York Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Thunder wilt in first crack at NBA title, setting up Game 7 for ‘everything' or ‘nothing'
INDIANAPOLIS — On the second Oklahoma City Thunder possession of Thursday's Game 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wandered into danger and lost his dribble to a pair of Indiana Pacers more ready to grapple and pounce on a loose ball. A minute later, they didn't even need to double-team to pick his pocket. Andrew Nembhard took the ball from Gilgeous-Alexander on a slow-developing post-up. This was the earliest alarm bell for what would develop into arguably the Thunder's worst performance of the season at their potential pinnacle moment. They had a chance to win an NBA title. They instead fell down 31 points and were blown out 108-91. 'The way I see it is, we sucked tonight,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'We can learn our lessons. We have one game for everything. For everything we've worked for. And so do they.' Advertisement Those were two of Gilgeous-Alexander's eight turnovers, tying a career-high in any game. The high-usage, low-turnover, typically sharp guard who entered the night as the presumed finals MVP if his team could win its 84th game of the season, instead delivered a sloppy, unfocused night of point guard play. His team followed suit. The Thunder finished with 21 turnovers, their most in any of their 104 games this season. 'We tried to do too much one-on-one,' Alex Caruso said. 'They were active with their hands and aggressive defensively. We were just a little slow.' The desperate Pacers flew around. The Thunder arrived with a level of carelessness that played directly into their hands, throwing away enough possessions to deliver enough transition points to fuel a team and arena that felt tense before they blew it open into a Game 6 party. 'That's uncharacteristic for us to turn it over like that,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'That led to fast-break points. I thought that's what ignited them.' Here's an example. Jalen Williams gets a defensive rebound in the middle of the first quarter. He attempts to fling it upcourt. T.J. McConnell senses it, throws his arms up in the air, deflects it toward the sideline, outhustles the Thunder to a steal and then sets up Obi Toppin for a wide open 3 to juice up the crowd. The Game 6 loss was reminiscent of the Game 3 loss. Gilgeous-Alexander had six turnovers that night, tying a season-high that he'd surpass on Thursday. The Thunder turned it over 19 times. McConnell stole three inbound passes. The Thunder offense only generated 22 attempted 3s. That's been a problem on the road in this series. The Thunder's three biggest turnover games in these playoffs are the three Indianapolis games and, those three nights, they've gone 10 of 22, 3 of 17 and now 8 of 30 on 3s. That's an accuracy problem — 30.4 percent — and a volume problem. Advertisement That's 23 attempts per game for a team that averaged 38.8 per game in the regular season. They went 1 of 11 in the first half and didn't create a corner 3. 'It's definitely been an issue in some of these games,' Daigneault said. 'Game 4 comes to mind. I think we got 17 (attempts) in that game. I thought we found some things in Game 5. I thought they did a really good job on us tonight. The low volume and the accuracy was reflective of the way they guarded us and our inability to create a rhythm.' The Thunder will be significant favorites at home in Game 7, but they were significant favorites in Game 1 and lost. They've delivered themselves into serious danger again, similar to the Denver series. The Thunder went down 1-0 and 2-1 against the Nuggets, crawled ahead, delivered a Game 6 no-show and then survived with a Game 7 blowout. 'I see it as the same thing,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'In Round 2, if we had lost, I would have been just as disappointed. We would have went home and our season would have been over. If we lose (on Sunday), the season is over in the wrong way. Either way, I would have been extremely disappointed, so I don't think it's any different.' The Thunder blew the Nuggets out by 32 points in Game 7. They don't need a repeat margin, but a win or loss either way will ultimately define their season as success or failure. 'One game for everything you ever dreamed of,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get nothing. It's that simple.' (Photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals: 'We sucked' — OKC at a loss for how it performed with a chance to claim the title
INDIANAPOLIS — As doors opened to the media inside the Oklahoma City Thunder's locker room, on one end veterans Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein sat dejected. On the other Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams carried on a jovial, non-basketball-related conversation, as if the loss had never happened. It did happen. In Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Thursday — the Thunder's first close-out chance of the series — they submitted arguably their worst performance of the season, losing 108-91 to the Indiana Pacers. Advertisement Was this the immaturity of youth? After all, Oklahoma City — led by the 26-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander and 24-year-old Williams — is the youngest finalist since 1977. Or was it the right mindset to let go of this game almost as soon as it happened? Impossible to know. Only they could explain their mental approach. And on that they could not agree. Oklahoma City Thunder players look on from the bench during the fourth quarter as the Indiana Pacers rolled in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Photo by) (Maddie Meyer via Getty Images) "I can't speak for my whole team," said Williams, who finished a game-worst minus-40. "The human element didn't creep in for me until we got blown out. I didn't start thinking about Game 7 until we walked off the floor. Really, like, when the game was really out of reach. I think we had the right mindset coming into it." Advertisement Gilgeous-Alexander, on the other hand, felt comfortable speaking on behalf of the Thunder. "Definitely in the back of our minds, for sure," Gilgeous-Alexander, who committed a season-high eight turnovers, said of the the weight of the chance to clinch a title. "We didn't play like it at all. That's why the night went the way it did. We got exactly what we deserved, what we earned. We have to own that." About the only thing they could agree on was another thing Gilgeous-Alexander said: "We sucked." That they did. Oklahoma City failed to eclipse 100 points in a game just three times during the regular season — and never scored fewer than 98. In the playoffs, the Thunder had been held below 100 points only once, a 92-87 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets. Advertisement In other words, it is incredibly difficult to throw the Thunder off their game. But that is precisely what the Pacers did. The Thunder scored 89 points per 100 meaningful possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. Their previous low this season was 94.8 (in that aforementioned Denver game). This was quite literally their worst offensive effort of the season. And the other end was no better. "Our defense wasn't very good," conceded Williams. "I don't feel like we competed at the level we usually do," added Oklahoma City's Lu Dort. The question, then, is why? Why did OKC, when it needed its best effort, put forth its worst? Advertisement "They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes," said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. "That's the story of the game. They went out there and attacked the game. From our standpoint, it was uncharacteristic. It was disappointing. It was collective. It wasn't one guy. Just we were not where we needed to be on either end of the floor for much of the game. We have to be a lot better before Game 7." The Thunder are one of only seven teams ever to win 68 games in a regular season, and they owned the second-best net rating (+12.8) in NBA history, trailing only Michael Jordan's 72-win 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Advertisement The Pacers, meanwhile, are a fourth seed. They should just be happy to be here. TJ McConnell is a major factor in this series. Tony Bradley is playing meaningful minutes for them. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana's most valuable player, is playing through a right calf strain that had him questionable to even participate. This should not be a fair fight. Only it is. This is going to a Game 7 that nobody predicted. The Thunder entered this series among the heaviest betting favorites ever in the NBA Finals. What gives? "I don't think it's a one-sentence answer," said OKC big man Chet Holmgren, who scored four points on nine shots. "But at the end of the day, there really is no explanation, no excuse. We have to be better."
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Player grades: Thunder embarrassed in 108-91 Game 6 loss to Pacers
Player grades: Thunder embarrassed in 108-91 Game 6 loss to Pacers INDIANAPOLIS — Posting up on Alex Caruso, Pascal Siakam scored on a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to go into halftime. On the next quarter, Ben Sheppard matched his teammates' feat with his buzzer-beater on a last-season 3-pointer to put Indiana up by 30 points after three quarters. The Oklahoma City Thunder were embarrassed in a 108-91 Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The 2025 NBA Finals are tied at 3-3, which means a decisive Game 7 will decide the championship winner. A chance to close on the road, the Thunder started like a team that wanted to end the night covered in champagne. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams got into a groove early and built a 10-2 lead. The Pacers looked lost. Tyrese Haliburton looked a step slow. The Indiana crowd was quiet. Then the Pacers ripped off a 24-7 run to retake the momentum. Andrew Nembhard stepped up as scorer. The Thunder suddenly couldn't get to the basket. The Pacers had a 28-25 lead after the first quarter. If you were OKC, you had to feel good about that spot. It couldn't waste a golden opportunity. Well, they did. The Pacers ran the Thunder out of the gym. TJ McConnell continues to be a pest. Aaron Nesmith's corner 3-pointers demoralized OKC. A miscue between Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren on an alley-oop attempt directly led to another outside bucket. A few possessions later, Holmgren's outside attempt was blocked by Myles Turner. Everything went the Pacers' way with a 36-17 scoring advantage. The Thunder entered halftime in a 64-42 deficit. Barring a historic comeback, these teams were set to face off one last time. As a last-ditch adjustment, the Thunder went with Alex Caruso over Hartenstein to start the second half. The results were mixed. The Pacers couldn't buy a bucket. The Thunder's speed kept up with Indiana. The problem was on the other end, though. For the first four minutes, both teams exchanged misses. Then Haliburton's layup finally registered as the first second-half points. It took Gilgeous-Alexander's lob to Hartenstein for the Thunder to finally break their scoring drought after nearly five minutes. But by then, the outcome was decided. The Pacers got in a groove and had a 26-18 scoring advantage in the third frame. Sheppard's last-second 3-pointer was enough for the Thunder to wave the white flag. They exited the third frame in a 90-60 hole. The Thunder cleared the bench to start the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Pacers led by as many as 31 points. The Thunder shot 42% from the field and went 8-of-30 (26.7%) from 3. They shot 21-of-26 on free throws. They had 14 assists on 41 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points. Gilgeous-Alexander had a quiet 21 points. Williams only tallied 16 points. Hartenstein finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Isaiah Joe scored 11 points off the bench. Meanwhile, the Pacers shot 41% from the field and went 15-of-42 (35.7%) from 3. They shot 17-of-25 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 38 baskets. Six Pacers players scored double-digit points. Haliburton gutted out 14 points and five assists. Siakam finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Nembhard had 17 points and four assists. Nesmith scored 10 points. Off the bench, Toppin had 20 points and McConnell tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Things could've gone any worse for the Thunder. They've struggled on the road all of the playoffs, but to this extent is rare. They played like a team that had two chances to clinch, while the Pacers looked like a team fighting for their season. Everything went wrong for OKC. It will get a chance to reset with Game 7 back at home. For the next couple of days, though, they'll sit on this nasty loss. The Thunder had a chance to clinch their first championship on the road after two straight wins over the Pacers. They now get one more opportunity to do that back home. Albeit, most OKC fans preferred it to be done now. Let's look at Thunder player grades: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: D Gilgeous-Alexander is no stranger to sitting out fourth quarters. He's done that plenty of times throughout the season. But this time, it happened for all the wrong reasons. The MVP winner couldn't orchestrate the Thunder out of one of their worst offensive performances ever. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws. The stat line isn't too bad, but Gilgeous-Alexander got going too late. Considering what was at stake, you'd hope to see him play more aggressively. Especially when the Pacers began to run away on the scoreboard. The Thunder never looked comfortable. The turnover and outside shooting numbers reflected that. Oh well. Got to shrug your shoulders and move. As bad as this loss was, it only counts for one. Gilgeous-Alexander will get a chance in Game 7 to cement his legacy as one of the greatest ever or go down as the face of one of the greatest collapses. No pressure. The footwork is lethal ‼️ — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 20, 2025 Jalen Williams: C-minus Carrying his momentum from his 40-point outburst, Williams had it going early on. The 24-year-old pump-faked his way to reverse layups. The confidence can be felt from the top of the arena. And then it disappeared. The Thunder were buried on the scoreboard. Williams finished with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, three rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-4 from 3 and went 4-of-5 on free throws. The drives to the basket produced results, but Williams faded into the background too many times. The rest of the Thunder didn't have the scoring talent to make up for it. The Pacers took advantage as several role players outscored OKC's second-best player. Like Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams couldn't leave his mark. The Thunder needed somebody to calm the waters. Instead, their two All-Star players succumb to Indiana's pressure. They must be better in Game 7 or risk not winning a championship after everything aligned for them to do so. Dub fakes it and makes it 👀 — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 20, 2025 Chet Holmgren: F Missing on an alley-oop throw and getting his outside attempt blocked once again, Holmgren's offensive struggles finally boiled over. The defense has been valuable enough to stomach through his woes on the other end. But that was no longer the case. Holmgren finished with four points on 2-of-9 shooting and six rebounds. He shot 0-of-3 from 3. The shooting splits are as ugly as you could imagine. Maybe even worse. The Thunder have collected three wins in the NBA Finals with their third-best player regressing on that end of the floor, but you can only get away with that for so long before it gets exposed. The Thunder need more from Holmgren. The drives to the basket have often looked awkward. Most result in bad misses or turnovers. Sometimes he's shown flashes of being an acrobatic seven-foot finisher through contact. But that needs to be more sustainable. He'll have one more chance to play better in Game 7. If not and Holmgren's struggles continue, that could open the door to some awkward conversations. He'll be viewed as the biggest reason for their failure to win a championship despite being the heavy title favorite over the Pacers. Chet with the early moves 🕺 — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 20, 2025 Alex Caruso: F Arriving in Indiana with a 3-2 series lead, Caruso refused to think about a championship. After all, the Thunder still needed one more win to clinch it. He said all the right cliches heading into Game 6 about avoiding complacency, but the body language said otherwise. Caruso finished with zero points on 0-of-2 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He also had a block. The Thunder tried to shake their mojo with a halftime lineup change. Caruso started over Hartenstein. No dice. The offensive problems continued as they went what felt like an hour to get back on the scoreboard. You can't expect another 20-point outburst out of Caruso, but he has to be better than this. The 31-year-old headlines the Thunder's bench. His active voice has made him a locker room leader. With an upcoming Game 7, he will need to be better. Highlights:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Praises Key Teammate Amid NBA Finals
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Praises Key Teammate Amid NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to put the finishing touches on their best season in the history of the franchise when they take on the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 in Indianapolis on Thursday night. On the line is the chance to clinch their first NBA Title in the history of their young franchise. Advertisement While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up his usual 31 points en route to their Game 5 win, it was Jalen Williams who led the team with 40 points on 14-for-25 shooting. We've now seen Williams get better in each of the last three games and he is averaging 31 points per game over that stretch. © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Shai Gilgeous-Alexander praises key teammate amid NBA Finals Following the game in which the Thunder took a 3-2 series lead, Gilgeous-Alexander commended a number of his teammates. One player in particular was key role player Alex Caruso, citing his previous experience in these big moments. "He's the only one on the team with a ring. He knows what it takes," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "When he speaks, everyone listens. What he brings to the game, you have no choice but to listen." Caruso was a key part of the Los Angeles Lakers' 2020 run against the Miami Heat. While not leaned upon as one of their key scorers, the energy and tenacity on defense he brings is key in big moments. In Game 5, Caruso scored just two points, but his block and four steals were much felt. Advertisement The series now heads back to Indianapolis, where Pacers fans could only watch as Caruso wreaked havoc on both ends of the floor. He scored 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting, but perhaps most impressive were his five steals. While the high-scoring nights are always welcome, the Thunder have the utmost confidence in him and keep him on the floor for everything else he brings outside of his scoring. As the oldest member of the team, the 31-year-old Caruso will look to help secure his second NBA Championship on Thursday night. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thunder's Alex Caruso issues strong message after Game 5 victory
The post Thunder's Alex Caruso issues strong message after Game 5 victory appeared first on ClutchPoints. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso knows what it takes to win the NBA Finals, and he was crystal clear about what this entails following his team's 120-109 Game 5 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. Advertisement 'You've got to get to four,' Caruso said after the Thunder took a 3-2 series lead on Monday night. 'You don't get to be champions until you get the fourth win.' Known for his defensive prowess and veteran status, Caruso won his first championship as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and has been a major piece of the Thunder's run through the Western Conference. Such a sentiment rings true for this Thunder team considering their second-round series against the Denver Nuggets went seven games despite the Thunder taking a 3-2 lead after a hard-fought Game 5 win. Alex Caruso provides Thunder veteran presence Through 21 postseason contests this spring, Caruso has averaged 9.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while shooting roughly 46 percent from the field and around 42 percent from distance. He also provided the sort of respected locker room presence that has benefited a young team. Advertisement 'He's one of those guys who you know is going to bring it every single night. Whether he's 22 or 30, doesn't matter. He's going to bring it,' said teammate Chet Holmgren. 'I feel like, as a collective, we really feed off of that. Then also his ability to kind of process things that are happening out there and relay it and communicate it to everybody else is really important for us.' Caruso was only 1 of 8 from the field in Game 5, but his four steals helped the Thunder ward off a late Pacers surge. The 31-year-old also provided 20 points in a critical Game 2 win on the strength of a 6 of 11 night from the field. Jalen Williams' 40-point outburst placed the Thunder on the doorstep of their first title in franchise history, but Caruso is not about to let his team get complacent against a Pacers group that has shown resilience throughout the postseason. Related: Thunder draw '90s Bulls comparison from Doc Rivers Related: Thunder vs. Pacers Game 6 Results According to NBA 2K25
