Latest news with #AndrewNembhard

Indianapolis Star
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Who Really Qualifies for IRS Fresh Start Program? Clear Start Tax Breaks Down the Fine Print in 2025
Tyrese Haliburton starred on a sore calf, Andrew Nembhard outplayed MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals are going to Game 7
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former UD Flyer Obi Toppin sparks Pacers to help force Game 7 in NBA Finals
A former University of Dayton men's basketball star helped the Indiana Pacers force a Game 7 in the 2025 NBA Finals. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Obi Toppin came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points in the Pacers' 108-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Advertisement He was one of six Indiana players in double figures. Toppin made 6-12 shots, including 4-7 from three-point range in 23 minutes of action. TRENDING STORIES: OKC jumped out to a 10-2 lead, but Indiana went on an 11-2 run to take a 13-12 advantage. The Pacers never looked back as they built their largest lead to 31 points, 93-62, in the fourth quarter. Andrew Nembhard added 17 points while Pascal Siakam had 16. Indiana plays at Oklahoma City Sunday night. This will be the first Game 7 of the NBA Finals since 2016. The Associated Press contributed to this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]


The Advertiser
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
All square as Indiana Pacers roll past Thunder
Season on the line, the Indiana Pacers did what they've done time and time again. They bucked the odds. And the NBA Finals are going to an ultimate game. Obi Toppin scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17 and the Pacers forced a winner-take-all Game 7 by rolling past the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday night. The first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016 is Sunday night in Oklahoma City. "The ultimate game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a strained calf, scored 14 points. The Pacers started slowly and then turned things into a blowout. Game 6 was a microcosm of Indiana's season in a way. The Pacers started the regular season with 15 losses in 25 games, have had five comebacks from 15 or more down to win games in these playoffs, and they're one win from a title. "We just wanted to protect home court," Haliburton said. "We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. Backs against the wall and we just responded. ... Total team effort." TJ McConnell, the spark off the bench again, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Indiana. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for the Thunder, who pulled their starters after getting down by 30 going into the fourth. Jalen Williams added 16. "Credit Indiana," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "They earned the win. They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes. They went out there and attacked the game." Good news for the Thunder: home teams are 15-4 in finals in Game 7s. Bad news for the Thunder: Cleveland won at Golden State in the most recent of those and one of the three other home-team losses was in 1978 - by Seattle, the franchise that would move to Oklahoma City three decades later. Indiana missed their first eight shots and got down 10-2. The arena, roaring just a few minutes before at the start, quieted quickly. After the slow start, the Pacers outscored the Thunder 68-32 over the next 24 minutes. An Indiana team that hadn't led by more than 10 points at any time in the first five games - and that double-digit lead was brief - led by 28 early in the third quarter. The margin eventually got to 31, which was Oklahoma City's second-biggest deficit of the season. The worst also came in these playoffs: a 45-point hole against Minnesota in the Western Conference finals. The Thunder came back to win that series, obviously, and now will need that bounce-back ability one more time. "Obviously, it was a very poor performance by us," Daigneault said. The Thunder, desperate for a spark, put Alex Caruso in the starting lineup in place of Isaiah Hartenstein to open the second half. There was no spark. In fact, there was nothing whatsoever - neither team scored in the first 3:53 after halftime, the sides combining to miss their first 13 shots of the third quarter. And the outcome was never in doubt. Season on the line, the Indiana Pacers did what they've done time and time again. They bucked the odds. And the NBA Finals are going to an ultimate game. Obi Toppin scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17 and the Pacers forced a winner-take-all Game 7 by rolling past the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday night. The first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016 is Sunday night in Oklahoma City. "The ultimate game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a strained calf, scored 14 points. The Pacers started slowly and then turned things into a blowout. Game 6 was a microcosm of Indiana's season in a way. The Pacers started the regular season with 15 losses in 25 games, have had five comebacks from 15 or more down to win games in these playoffs, and they're one win from a title. "We just wanted to protect home court," Haliburton said. "We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. Backs against the wall and we just responded. ... Total team effort." TJ McConnell, the spark off the bench again, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Indiana. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for the Thunder, who pulled their starters after getting down by 30 going into the fourth. Jalen Williams added 16. "Credit Indiana," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "They earned the win. They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes. They went out there and attacked the game." Good news for the Thunder: home teams are 15-4 in finals in Game 7s. Bad news for the Thunder: Cleveland won at Golden State in the most recent of those and one of the three other home-team losses was in 1978 - by Seattle, the franchise that would move to Oklahoma City three decades later. Indiana missed their first eight shots and got down 10-2. The arena, roaring just a few minutes before at the start, quieted quickly. After the slow start, the Pacers outscored the Thunder 68-32 over the next 24 minutes. An Indiana team that hadn't led by more than 10 points at any time in the first five games - and that double-digit lead was brief - led by 28 early in the third quarter. The margin eventually got to 31, which was Oklahoma City's second-biggest deficit of the season. The worst also came in these playoffs: a 45-point hole against Minnesota in the Western Conference finals. The Thunder came back to win that series, obviously, and now will need that bounce-back ability one more time. "Obviously, it was a very poor performance by us," Daigneault said. The Thunder, desperate for a spark, put Alex Caruso in the starting lineup in place of Isaiah Hartenstein to open the second half. There was no spark. In fact, there was nothing whatsoever - neither team scored in the first 3:53 after halftime, the sides combining to miss their first 13 shots of the third quarter. And the outcome was never in doubt. Season on the line, the Indiana Pacers did what they've done time and time again. They bucked the odds. And the NBA Finals are going to an ultimate game. Obi Toppin scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17 and the Pacers forced a winner-take-all Game 7 by rolling past the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday night. The first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016 is Sunday night in Oklahoma City. "The ultimate game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a strained calf, scored 14 points. The Pacers started slowly and then turned things into a blowout. Game 6 was a microcosm of Indiana's season in a way. The Pacers started the regular season with 15 losses in 25 games, have had five comebacks from 15 or more down to win games in these playoffs, and they're one win from a title. "We just wanted to protect home court," Haliburton said. "We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. Backs against the wall and we just responded. ... Total team effort." TJ McConnell, the spark off the bench again, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Indiana. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for the Thunder, who pulled their starters after getting down by 30 going into the fourth. Jalen Williams added 16. "Credit Indiana," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "They earned the win. They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes. They went out there and attacked the game." Good news for the Thunder: home teams are 15-4 in finals in Game 7s. Bad news for the Thunder: Cleveland won at Golden State in the most recent of those and one of the three other home-team losses was in 1978 - by Seattle, the franchise that would move to Oklahoma City three decades later. Indiana missed their first eight shots and got down 10-2. The arena, roaring just a few minutes before at the start, quieted quickly. After the slow start, the Pacers outscored the Thunder 68-32 over the next 24 minutes. An Indiana team that hadn't led by more than 10 points at any time in the first five games - and that double-digit lead was brief - led by 28 early in the third quarter. The margin eventually got to 31, which was Oklahoma City's second-biggest deficit of the season. The worst also came in these playoffs: a 45-point hole against Minnesota in the Western Conference finals. The Thunder came back to win that series, obviously, and now will need that bounce-back ability one more time. "Obviously, it was a very poor performance by us," Daigneault said. The Thunder, desperate for a spark, put Alex Caruso in the starting lineup in place of Isaiah Hartenstein to open the second half. There was no spark. In fact, there was nothing whatsoever - neither team scored in the first 3:53 after halftime, the sides combining to miss their first 13 shots of the third quarter. And the outcome was never in doubt. Season on the line, the Indiana Pacers did what they've done time and time again. They bucked the odds. And the NBA Finals are going to an ultimate game. Obi Toppin scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17 and the Pacers forced a winner-take-all Game 7 by rolling past the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday night. The first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016 is Sunday night in Oklahoma City. "The ultimate game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a strained calf, scored 14 points. The Pacers started slowly and then turned things into a blowout. Game 6 was a microcosm of Indiana's season in a way. The Pacers started the regular season with 15 losses in 25 games, have had five comebacks from 15 or more down to win games in these playoffs, and they're one win from a title. "We just wanted to protect home court," Haliburton said. "We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. Backs against the wall and we just responded. ... Total team effort." TJ McConnell, the spark off the bench again, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Indiana. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for the Thunder, who pulled their starters after getting down by 30 going into the fourth. Jalen Williams added 16. "Credit Indiana," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "They earned the win. They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes. They went out there and attacked the game." Good news for the Thunder: home teams are 15-4 in finals in Game 7s. Bad news for the Thunder: Cleveland won at Golden State in the most recent of those and one of the three other home-team losses was in 1978 - by Seattle, the franchise that would move to Oklahoma City three decades later. Indiana missed their first eight shots and got down 10-2. The arena, roaring just a few minutes before at the start, quieted quickly. After the slow start, the Pacers outscored the Thunder 68-32 over the next 24 minutes. An Indiana team that hadn't led by more than 10 points at any time in the first five games - and that double-digit lead was brief - led by 28 early in the third quarter. The margin eventually got to 31, which was Oklahoma City's second-biggest deficit of the season. The worst also came in these playoffs: a 45-point hole against Minnesota in the Western Conference finals. The Thunder came back to win that series, obviously, and now will need that bounce-back ability one more time. "Obviously, it was a very poor performance by us," Daigneault said. The Thunder, desperate for a spark, put Alex Caruso in the starting lineup in place of Isaiah Hartenstein to open the second half. There was no spark. In fact, there was nothing whatsoever - neither team scored in the first 3:53 after halftime, the sides combining to miss their first 13 shots of the third quarter. And the outcome was never in doubt.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pacers thrash Thunder to stay alive in NBA Finals
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers celebrates the Pacers' victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in game six of the NBA Finals (Maddie Meyer) The Indiana Pacers, rallying around injured star Tyrese Haliburton, crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday to force a decisive game seven in the NBA Finals. Haliburton, cleared to play with a right calf injury only a couple of hours before tipoff, scored 14 points with five assists and two steals in a solid contribution to a comprehensive team effort. Advertisement "We just wanted to protect home court," Haliburton said. "We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. "Backs against the wall, we just responded," he added. "So many different guys chipped in, total team effort. I'm really proud of this group." Obi Toppin led the Pacers scoring with 20 points off the bench as Indiana's reserves out-scored Oklahoma City's bench 48-37. Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Pacers, who had lost the last two games to stand on the brink of elimination, leveled the best-of-seven championship series at three games apiece. Advertisement Haliburton, who said he'd do everything he could to play after limping through most of game five, showed virtually no sign of his injury as the Pacers grabbed the game by the throat in the second quarter and never let go. Indiana led by 22 points at halftime and by as many as 31 early in the fourth quarter. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 21 points but had eight of the Thunder's 21 turnovers. Gilgeous-Alexander missed his lone three-point attempt while Jalen Williams -- coming off a 40-point performance in game five -- missed all four of his three-point attempts on the way to 16 points. Advertisement The Thunder, winners of a league-best 68 regular-season games -- pulled their starters after falling behind by 30 going into the fourth quarter. They'll be searching for answers as the series heads back to Oklahoma City for game seven on Sunday -- the first game seven in the championship series since 2016. The Thunder are seeking their first title since the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, having won it all in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Pacers are in search of a first NBA title. They won American Basketball Association titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973 before joining the NBA as part of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Advertisement - One game - "You know, we've got one game," Haliburton said. "All cards on the table. It's going to be a lot of fun." For a few minutes, it looked like the Thunder might roll to the title. The Pacers missed their first eight shots and fell into a quick eight-point hole. But they settled in to connect on six straight attempts and took the lead on a three-pointer from Nembhard midway through the first quarter. Indiana piled on the pressure with a pair of three-pointers and a trey from Haliburton -- his first basket of the night -- pushing their lead to as many as nine points. Advertisement Up by three at the end of the first, the Pacers exploded in the second quarter, stepping up the aggression on both ends of the floor on the way to a 64-42 halftime lead. With less than a minute to go in the first half Haliburton came up with a steal then found Siakam with a no-look pass for an emphatic dunk. Siakam followed up with a turnaround jump shot at the halftime buzzer. "It's the Finals," Haliburton said. "All of us got to give everything we have." bb/rcw


National Post
12 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Pacers roll past Thunder 108-91 to send the NBA Finals to a deciding Game 7
INDIANAPOLIS — Obi Toppin scored 20 points, Canadian Andrew Nembhard added 17 and the resilient Indiana Pacers sent the NBA Finals to a winner-take-all Game 7 by rolling past the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday night. Article content Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton — playing through a strained calf — scored 14 points for the Pacers, who started slowly and then turned things into a blowout. Article content Article content Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for the Thunder, who pulled their starters after getting down by 30 going into the fourth. Jalen Williams added 16. Article content Game 7, the first one in the NBA Finals since 2016, will be Sunday night in Oklahoma City. Good news for the Thunder: home teams are 15-4 in the ultimate game to decide a title. Bad news for the Thunder: Cleveland won at Golden State in the most recent NBA Finals Game 7 and one of the three other home-team losses was in 1978 — by Seattle, the franchise that would move to Oklahoma City three decades later. Article content Indiana missed its first eight shots and got down 10-2. The arena, roaring just a few minutes before at the start, quieted quickly. Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, sitting courtside in a Jalen Rose Pacers jersey, was pacing, kneeling, generally acting more nervous than he ever seemed as a player. Article content No need. Article content After the slow start, the Pacers outscored the Thunder 68-32 over the next 24 minutes. An Indiana team that hadn't led by more than 10 points at any time in the first five games — and that double-digit lead was brief — led by 28 early in the third quarter. The margin eventually got to 31, which was Oklahoma City's second-biggest deficit of the season. Article content The worst also came in these playoffs: a 45-point hole against Minnesota in the Western Conference finals. The Thunder came back to win that series, obviously, and now will need that bounce-back ability one more time. Article content The Thunder, desperate for a spark, put Alex Caruso in the starting lineup in place of Isaiah Hartenstein to open the second half. There was no spark. In fact, there was nothing whatsoever _ neither team scored in the first 3:53 after halftime, the sides combining to miss their first 13 shots of the third quarter. Article content