Latest news with #BenSheppard
CTV News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Pacers roll past Thunder 108-91 to send the NBA Finals to a deciding Game 7
Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) and forward Obi Toppin (1) celebrate during the second half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) INDIANAPOLIS -- 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 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 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. No need. 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. By Tim Reynolds
Japan Today
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Japan Today
Pacers roll past Thunder 108-91 to send the NBA Finals to a deciding Game 7
Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) and forward Obi Toppin (1) celebrate during the second half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) basketball By TIM REYNOLDS Obi Toppin scored 20 points, 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. No need. 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. 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. TJ McConnell, the spark off the bench again, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Indiana. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Arab News
Pacers avoid 2nd straight home-court playoff exit, routing Thunder to force Game 7
INDIANAPOLIS: The Indiana Pacers did not let another home-court opportunity slip away Thursday night. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Thunder fans expecting to celebrate NBA title see hopes dashed In Oklahoma City, fans who confidently flocked to the Paycom Center expecting to celebrate the Thunder's first NBA championship on Thursday night went home facing the possibility that their team might not win the title. Thousands of fans with high hopes filed into Oklahoma City's home arena to watch on the big screen. Instead, Indiana rolled to a 108-91 win, and now Thunder's passionate fans will wait anxiously for Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City. The lower two levels at the Paycom Center were nearly filled before the tip, and the big screen was lowered for a better view. The crowd roared early when Jalen Williams dunked to give Oklahoma City an 8-2 lead. Indiana dominated from there and led 64-42 at halftime. Fans remained hopeful, but the energy dissipated when the Thunder failed to score for the first five minutes of the third quarter. The crowd gained some hope when Tony Bradley was called for a technical foul against Isaiah Hartenstein. Indiana maintained control, and fans finally started to file out after Ben Sheppard hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the third to put the Pacers up 90-60. Those who stayed stood and cheered as time ran out. It's been a long wait for Thunder fans. The city first hosted an NBA team during the 2005-06 season, when the New Orleans Hornets relocated after Hurricane Katrina. Oklahoma City's fans fell in love with the team and young point guard Chris Paul, who would be named rookie of the year. The Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, and Oklahoma City's fans feverishly supported their new team despite its early struggles. The Thunder had contending teams with young stars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Even with all that talent, they couldn't break through. They lost to LeBron James' Miami Heat in the NBA Finals in 2012. Durant left for the rival Golden State Warriors in 2016. A team with Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony couldn't get out of the first round. The end of Oklahoma City's misfortune seemed to have arrived this season, when the Thunder had the league's best record. Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Thunder put the Pacers on the brink of elimination with wins in Games 4 and 5. Now, the misery will continue if Oklahoma City doesn't win Game 7.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
2025 NBA Finals: Pacers Focus On Little Things Meant Nothing In Game 5
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - JUNE 16: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball against ... More Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter in Game Five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 16, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by) OKLAHOMA CITY – The Indiana Pacers made their message clear with one word after losing Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals: little. In their eyes, their late-game collapse was the result of overlooking the small details. That word, little, echoed throughout the days leading up to Game 5. As they blew a four-point lead in the final three minutes of Game 4, the Pacers had a turnover, several missed free throws, and defensive miscues. They watched the league's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rip their heart out. When asked about those late-game failures ahead in the ensuing days, that one word kept resurfacing. 'It's all the little things,' Pacers starting center Myles Turner said of the defeat. 'Little things. Getting stops. Rebounds. Fouls. All the controllables,' added wing Aaron Nesmith. Ben Sheppard, a reserve, echoed the same lines. 'Just little mistakes,' he said of the fourth-quarter issues revealed in a film session. 'There's little things that we've got to work on.' Little. The mistakes the Pacers felt like they made were small, and Nesmith added more detail by naming the areas those little mistakes came in. Turner later pointed to their tempo and deviation from team principles as key issues in the loss. And yet, with a chance to bounce back in Game 5 and take a lead in the NBA Finals once again, little things became big things. A mountain of little things is a major problem. On Monday, the Pacers dropped consecutive games for the first time since March, and now they find themselves searching for answers with their backs against the wall. The Oklahoma City Thunder took Game 5 120-109 just one day after Indiana explained their focus on little things. That game was close at one point in the fourth quarter, with the Pacers deficit being just two with 8:30 to go. Yet for much of the night, OKC was the better team. They were in control. And the Pacers couldn't complete a comeback because little problems became huge problems, and those huge problems prevented them from overcoming an injury nightmare. It started on the Pacers fifth possession as Pascal Siakam, a star player who has been wonderful in the playoffs, coughed up a turnover. It was his, and Indiana's, first of the game. But it was far from the last. Siakam coughed up the ball again 79 seconds later, then Nesmith followed suit with one of his own on the next possession. By the end of the first quarter, the Pacers had seven turnovers, more than they recorded in entire games twice during the regular season. They've had three playoff games this year with eight or fewer. By the end of Game 5, the Pacers accumulated 22 turnovers. Forcing errors is a staple of the OKC defense, but the blue and gold were careless to an alarming extent. A few turnovers are manageable. Somewhere between 10 and 15 would have been a little problem. The 22 Indiana ended with took it from a small issue to a big one. 'The turnovers were tough,' Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell said. '[And] at a timely point in the game.' Then came Jalen Williams. His terrific performance was a similar problem for the Pacers. The Thunder's All-NBA forward had six points after one quarter, then 16 by halftime. He was having a quality outing for the third-straight time, and his scoring barrage only intensified. Williams exploded the second half thanks to a 13-point third quarter. He finished with 40 points, six rebounds, and four assists – a remarkable night on such a stage. He's been unstoppable since Game 3. A non-Gilgeous-Alexander scoring outburst is normally a little thing. But a full-on takeover is a major problem. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai ... More Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips) The Pacers pace was off, too. That's usually a minor issue. Indiana almost always believes they are playing too slow in this postseason, and they typically speed up throughout a game as they get more comfortable. This time, for once, they were playing too fast. The Thunder sped them up for the first time in the playoffs. 'They sped us up today,' Pacers forward Obi Toppin said. 'We've got to slow down, have fun, and play our type of basketball. They sped us up, we were throwing random passes, uncontrolled passes. We've got to breathe and play our basketball.' Having a pace issue is a little thing. The Pacers have overcome that. Being sped up and having the mind work faster than the body is a big problem, and one that creates chaos. It played a part in Indiana's rough start offensively. This theme continued in so many other aspects of Game 5. Little things became big things. The Pacers got off to a slow start, a tiny issue they've overcome countless times. Yet their first quarter deficit was 91% of the final score differential. Oklahoma City had 19 offensive rebounds and 32 points off of turnovers. Haliburton, the Pacers star point guard, was struggling more than usual. All of these had been manageable hurdles this postseason. But not this time. In Game 5, there were too many of them. 'We continued to fight no matter what, and we gave ourselves a chance until we made some mistakes there,' Siakam said after the battle. During Indiana's victories, they overcame their miscues. This time, they weren't able to. And a big reason why is that the little things become much more significant when a massive problem appears during the game – and that happened as Haliburton started to grimace and limp in the first half. He was hurting and less effective. The All-NBA guard was rubbing his lower right leg throughout the night. His minutes were staggered unusually, and he couldn't cut or move as he normally does. Haliburton was laboring, and the Pacers were working around it. That's not a little thing, that's everything. Head coach Rick Carlisle later said the team considered shutting him down at halftime. Carlisle made it clear his star isn't 100% healthy. 'It's the NBA Finals. It's the Finals, man. I've worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete. Help my teammates any way I can,' Haliburton said postgame. He has a calf injury 'I was not great tonight by any means, but it's not really a thought of mine to not play here,' he added. 'If I can walk, then I want to play.' That's a noble stance from Haliburton. He finished with four points, seven rebounds, and six assists – a quiet night by his standards. And he went 0/6 from the field. He was clearly limited, and the Pacers felt it. Haliburton had an MRI on Tuesday night. Carlisle shared on a radio hit Wednesday morning that the star guard will be a game-time decision for Game 6. If Haliburton's words ring true from Game 5, he will try to play, but almost certainly not at full strength. And in a series where little things have become everything, that's a massive issue. Now, the Pacers have their backs against the wall. Down 3-2, needing two straight wins to secure their first NBA title, there's no more room for error. With Haliburton limited, winning the 2025 NBA Finals will only be possible if the Pacers are flawless in every detail. The little things will have to be perfect.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Pacers Have Themselves To Blame For Blown Lead, Clutch Loss Vs Knicks
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 25: Andrew Nembhard #2 of the Indiana Pacers dribbles the ball against ... More Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks during the second quarter in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 25, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by) INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers felt like they were on top of the world. Late in the second quarter of their Game 3 battle against the New York Knicks in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, they took a 20-point lead via a dunk in transition from guard Tyrese Haliburton. Just over three minutes remained until halftime. Haliburton grabbed his uniform and puffed out the 'Indiana' for the crowd to see. Forward Obi Toppin gave him a chest bump. Ben Sheppard rubbed his shoulders. The Knicks took a timeout as Gainbridge Fieldhouse got louder. Holding a 2-0 series lead, the Pacers looked invincible. When the game ended, those emotions were gone. The Pacers lost, and painfully. From that point on – about 27 minutes of game action in total – New York dominated, winning that span of game action 71-45. The final score was Knicks 106, Pacers 100. The second half was a mess for the blue and gold, who couldn't get stops and completely lost their identity on offense. New York deserves credit for making important changes that slowed the Pacers. But Indiana knows that this loss is on them. They weren't themselves couldn't get to the finish line. 'We felt like we were in a position to win and didn't do a good job in the second half,' Haliburton said. A crucial stretch, and one that head coach Rick Carlisle called out as problematic postgame, came at the end of the third quarter. Despite a mediocre frame to that point, Carlisle's team led by 15 with just over two minutes to go before the final period. They had a chance to hold the line and take a big lead into the fourth quarter. Instead, the Knicks hit hard. Miles McBride scored seven points in 71 seconds, and the Pacers didn't get a shot on the rim in that span. By the end of the quarter, their lead was down to 10. Momentum was gone, though a 10-point edge is still significant. It went away quickly. Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns had the best stretch of his series, scoring or assisting on every point as New York put 16 notches on the scoreboard in under four minutes. In the same span, the Pacers had five. Their 20-point lead was gone. The crowd was out of the game, and the hosts needed answers. 'I don't think our execution was great,' Haliburton said of his team's late-game play. 'Execution down the stretch, we can definitely be better.' The Pacers starters came back into the game early in the final quarter. That stabilized things somewhat. But the blue and gold had already lost their tempo and juice. Even with a changed lineup, scoring was a challenge. Stopping Towns was still nearly impossible. They reclaimed the lead one more time, but the Knicks instantly answered. And after a miraculous finish in Game 1 plus solid-enough clutch play in Game 2, Indiana had a chance. The game was tied with 97 seconds to go. But without offensive rhythm, the result was different. The Pacers lost this time. They blew their 20-point lead and didn't look like themselves for much of the game. 'We got a pretty good lead in the third quarter, but didn't do a good enough job of attacking but also avoiding miscues. So, difficult loss,' Carlisle said. Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) looks to pass the ball between New York Knicks forward OG ... More Anunoby, left, and center Karl-Anthony Towns during the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) The Pacers have no one to blame but themselves in defeat. Almost everything that went against them in the second half was correctable, and they know it. Towns' explosion was tough to stop. He can flick in difficult jumpers again, and when he's hot it's hard to stop. But he had several paint attacks and strong plays that came from post touches, and Indiana never found a way to slow those plays down. Towns' drives were powerful. He never saw a double team, even without Knicks star Jalen Brunson on the floor. The big man crushed the blue and gold. 'He got going. He was able to stretch the floor,' Pacers center Myles Turner said of that Towns' run. Carlisle and members of the roster acknowledged that the team didn't do a good job of defending him during that stretch. On offense, the Pacers stopped channeling their identity. They were slow – Game 3 was tied for the team's second-slowest game of the postseason. Human nature crept in when they grabbed a big lead. They played content and lacked urgency. Snapping out of unworried play is difficult, and Indiana found out the hard way. When they dialed in, the Knicks had already erased much of the deficit and had rhythm. The Pacers did not. Up-tempo play is the hallmark of the Pacers – they want to get into the paint and move the ball. But they did none of that. They slowed down and hunted mismatches, which can work but isn't Pacers basketball. Even when the hosts did look for specific defenders, they didn't execute well. They played themselves out of fruitful situations as they tried to ramp up their intensity, and they simultaneously couldn't get stops to get easier chances in transition. Everything looked off. The team almost found enough successes to win anyway thanks to their strong first half, but they scored just 42 points across quarters three and four. 'I didn't think we [were] playing as fast,' Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam said. 'We didn't really attack the paint as much.' The Pacers have since admitted that it's not necessarily something the Knicks did or changed that slowed them down. Instead, the team believes they weren't themselves. New York had defensively-focused groups on the floor for much of the second half, but that largely hasn't mattered throughout the series. No team has found a unit capable of stopping the Pacers in the playoffs so far. If the Pacers simply were themselves for a longer period, they might have won. They could be up 3-0. Instead, it's back to the drawing board in an attempt to recapture momentum. They need to be better to win. 'We can fix it,' guard Andrew Nembhard said. Game 4 is Tuesday night. The Pacers will do everything they can to get out of their own way.
