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USA Today
6 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Thunder vs. Pacers winners and losers: NBA Finals going to Game 7
Thunder vs. Pacers winners and losers: NBA Finals going to Game 7 Show Caption Hide Caption Shaq talks NBA Finals matchup and NBA on TNT Shaquille O'Neal joins Sports Seriously to talk about all things NBA and his upcoming Netflix docu-series 'Power Moves'. Sports Seriously Two teams came to play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Just one met the moment. Indiana defeated Oklahoma City 108-91 in Game 6 Thursday, June 19. And with that, the Indiana Pacers are still alive, the Thunder were denied an NBA championship, and the NBA Finals heads to a Game 7 with history on the line. The Pacers have never won an NBA championship, and the Thunder are trying to win their first since relocating to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008. This back-and-forth series is defined by turnovers, 3-point shooting, stars stepping up and a lack of momentum carrying over from one game to the next. Here are the winners and losers from Game 6 between the Thunder and Pacers. Thunder-Pacers Game 6 winners Pacers swarm and smother on defense Indiana, on defense, looked almost like the Thunder. Oklahoma City posted the NBA's top-ranked defense in the regular season and built its brand on using active hands to deflect passes and force turnovers, rotating quickly and decisively to prevent open looks and staying aggressive along the perimeter. The Pacers forced the Thunder into 21 turnovers, leading to ample transition opportunities. Indiana swiped 16 steals — compared to only four by Oklahoma City. The Pacers, in fact, generated more steals than the Thunder had assists (14). Indiana actually dialed back its full-court pressure, which it had relied upon earlier in the series, instead opting to smother OKC with intent in the half court. T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin and the Pacers bench shine again One of the telling stats of this NBA Finals for the Pacers has been bench points. Indiana's bench has now outscored Oklahoma City's in five of the six games thus far. And Thursday night's 48-37 advantage wasn't even indicative of the entire picture, given that the Thunder pulled their starters at the start of the fourth quarter. T.J. McConnell has been exceptional, a consistent spark and source of positive plays. He's the most efficient Pacer in half-court sets and his effort is infectious. He posted 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals, marking the first time a bench player has recorded those figures in an NBA Finals game, since starters and bench player stats were first tracked in 1970-71. Forward Obi Toppin, who has developed a steady, knockdown jumper, added 20 points and six rebounds. When the Pacers bench is playing like this, they are tough to beat. Indiana spreads the wealth The Pacers, as they have all series, have spread the ball and have been a team where the whole is greater than the parts. They had six players reach double figures in scoring. Indiana has now become the first team in NBA postseason history to have eight players with at least 200 points in a single playoffs: Pascal Siakam (456), Tyrese Haliburton (390), Myles Turner (311), Aaron Nesmith (288), Andrew Nembhard (272), Bennedict Mathurin (219), Obi Toppin (216) and T.J. McConnell (202). Thunder-Pacers Game 6 losers Thunder turnovers The Thunder had 21 turnovers, leading to 19 Pacers points. Can't happen and it happened for the second time in the series – the Thunder had 25 turnovers in their Game 1 loss. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander committed a career-high eight turnovers. He had more turnovers than made field goals (seven). 'They didn't pressure full court like they have been, which led to more turnovers. I didn't expect that,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'But whatever it is, they did it right. … They were definitely lower on the pickups. I'm not sure. Some of them I think was carelessness, not being as focused, not being engaged.' Thunder offense The Thunder's turnovers led to a discombobulated offense that never found a rhythm. Oklahoma City shot 41.9% from the field, 26.7% on 3-pointers and had just 14 assists on 31 made field goals. Ball movement wasn't there, shooting wasn't there, and it was just the second time in 22 playoff games the Thunder scored fewer than 100 points. Thunder starters were 1-for-13 on 3-pointers, Chet Holmgren scored just four points on 2-for-9 shooting and Alex Caruso didn't score. Thunder bench Oklahoma City's third unit of Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams, Ajay Mitchell, Dillon Jones and Ousmane Dieng played well in mop-up time, helping make the final score not as brutal as it could've been. However, Oklahoma City's scoring from the second unit was limited. Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace and Kenrich Williams combined for 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting. Indiana's main reserves scored 41 points. Sports fans who aren't watching This is a fantastic series with compelling swings from game to game. Both teams have stars, depth, play hard and are well coached. That was true at the start of the playoffs and remains true through six games of the Finals. It has all the elements of basketball that a fan should want. Including a Game 7.
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What time is NBA Finals Game 6 today? TV channel for Thunder vs. Pacers
What time is NBA Finals Game 6 today? TV channel for Thunder vs. Pacers Show Caption Hide Caption Shaq talks NBA Finals matchup and NBA on TNT Shaquille O'Neal joins Sports Seriously to talk about all things NBA and his upcoming Netflix docu-series 'Power Moves'. Sports Seriously Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder will have an opportunity to win the 2025 NBA championship on the road Thursday in Game 6 of the Finals against the Indiana Pacers. It would be the first title for the franchise since 1979, when it won the NBA title as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Thunder have only one other Finals appearance, in 2012, since relocating in 2008. The Pacers will look to avoid elimination and extend the series to a Game 7. Tyrese Haliburton's status remains questionable as he's dealing with a calf strain. He struggled to score in 34 minutes of play in Game 5, with all four of his points coming from the free throw line. Here's how you can watch the potential conclusion of the NBA Finals on Thursday: What time is Game 6 of the NBA Finals? Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers Game 6 will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Date: Thursday, June 19 Thursday, June 19 Time: 8:30 p.m. ET 8:30 p.m. ET TV: ABC ABC Stream: ESPN+, SlingTV, Fubo ESPN+, SlingTV, Fubo Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis) How to watch the NBA Finals The 2025 NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers will air on ABC. Fans can stream it on Fubo (offers a free trial) and SlingTV. Watch the NBA Finals with Fubo NBA Finals 2025: Full schedule, times, TV channel, live streaming All times Eastern. *-if necessary The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Young Thunder falter and now face ultimate test: NBA Finals Game 7
Young Thunder falter and now face ultimate test: NBA Finals Game 7 Show Caption Hide Caption Shaq talks NBA Finals matchup and NBA on TNT Shaquille O'Neal joins Sports Seriously to talk about all things NBA and his upcoming Netflix docu-series 'Power Moves'. Sports Seriously The young Oklahoma City Thunder have absorbed lessons all season – in success and in failure through 82 regular-season games and 22 playoff games. The lessons for the Thunder after six NBA Finals games against the Indiana Pacers are clear. Clearer than ever. Winning closeout games in the conference final round is one thing; winning closeout games in the NBA Finals is another, much more demanding thing. The Thunder need to take the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy because the Pacers aren't going to give it up easily. They're going after it just as hard. The 2025 NBA Finals get a Game 7 because Tyrese Haliburton (and his one good leg) and the Pacers destroyed the Thunder 108-91 in Game 6 Thursday, June 19. 'From our standpoint, it was uncharacteristic,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. '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.' It was one of those games where the margin was not indicative of the beating the Pacers delivered. The Thunder were miserable across the board, but don't be fooled either. The feisty, admirable Pacers had a significant role in Oklahoma City's inability to score or defend. 'Obviously it was a very poor performance by us,' Daigneault said. 'But there's two teams out there. I want to give Indiana credit for the way they defended, the way they competed in the game, the way they played all the way around. They had a lot to do with it." If the Thunder want to win the franchise's first championship since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008, they know they can't have a similar performance. Twenty-one turnovers leading to 19 Pacers points won't get it done. Shooting 26.7% on 3-pointers and allowing 15 made 3s won't get it done. Falling behind by 22 at the half and 30 by the end of the third quarter, going scoreless for a nearly seven-minute stretch at the end of the second quarter and start of the third, and eight turnovers by 2024-25 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won't do the job. Gilgeous-Alexander didn't hide from the result. 'We got exactly what we deserved, what we earned. We have to own that," he said. As dominant as Oklahoma City has been this season, it's also easy to forget it is the second-youngest team to play in the Finals in the past 70 seasons. This group is playing in their first Finals together, and Daigneault just coached his 32nd career playoff game. Sunday is the 20th Game 7 in Finals history, and the first since Cleveland came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Golden State in 2016. For the Thunder, there are encouraging internal and external signs. The home team is 15-4 in Finals Game 7s, including 4-1 in the past 30 seasons, and the Thunder defeated Denver in Game 7 at home in this season's Western Conference semifinals. They lost two consecutive games just twice during the regular season and have not lost two consecutive playoff games this season. They respond to losses. 'It's a privilege to play in Game 7s. It's a privilege to play in the Finals,' Daigneault said. 'As disappointing as tonight was, we're grateful for the opportunity. We put in a lot of work this season to be able to play that game at home, which is exciting to be able to do it in front of our fans. 'Obviously disappointed tonight. But we'll regroup, get back to zero, learn from it with clear eyes, like we always do. Get ourselves as ready as we can be to play Game 7 on Sunday.' The biggest test is Sunday in a winner-take-all game. '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. The better team Sunday will win. ... "One game for everything you ever dreamed of. If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get nothing. It's that simple."
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Will Tyrese Haliburton play in NBA Finals Game 6? Decision is complicated, experts say
Will Tyrese Haliburton play in NBA Finals Game 6? Decision is complicated, experts say Show Caption Hide Caption Shaq talks NBA Finals matchup and NBA on TNT Shaquille O'Neal joins Sports Seriously to talk about all things NBA and his upcoming Netflix docu-series 'Power Moves'. Sports Seriously Tyrese Haliburton, even with a strained right calf that raised questions about his availability for Game 6 of the NBA Finals, has managed to keep the basketball world on its heels. 'If I can walk, then I want to play,' Haliburton said Monday after the calf injury he aggravated in Game 5 clearly affected him during the Indiana Pacers' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which left the Pacers trailing 3-2 in the best-of-7 series. The day before Game 6, set for Thursday, June 19, Haliburton said he is a competitor and wants to play yet also remarked: 'I have to understand the risks, ask the right questions…' Cynics may think Haliburton is trying to keep the Thunder guessing (his coach said he "probably will be a game-time decision for Game 6"). But two orthopedic surgeons who have worked with NBA teams told USA TODAY Sports that decisions about whether to play with an injury are complex. 'An ankle sprain can be two hours of conversation,'' said Brian Cole, head team physician for the Chicago Bulls since 2005. 'X-rays, X-rays, repeated MRIs. Talking to different levels of trainers, the family, the agent. 'Especially at a time where you're dealing like this, where it matters more than ever.'' Why it matters: The Pacers are trying to win their first NBA championship in franchise history. It's hard to imagine them doing it without Haliburton, their All-Star point guard. But it's unlikely Haliburton will play without conferring with his agent, said Robert Anderson, a member of the NBA's committee studying ankle sprains and team orthopedist for the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Anderson said an MRI, which the Pacers said Haliburton had, usually will go to two consultants. Then the risks of playing with the injury are assessed, said Anderson, who said the player and agent then likely will discuss the risks involving the injury. 'It also becomes a business decision,'' Anderson said. The role of the pain threshold Willis Reed limped out of the locker room with a leg injury before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. Reed, then the Knicks' star center, gritted through the pain and helped the Knicks win the NBA championship. Fifty-five years later, the story epitomizes toughness. Fair or not, the "pain threshold" likely will become part of the conversation regarding whether or not Haliburton plays. 'Athletes play in pain all the time,'' Cole said. 'It's an issue of what they can tolerate and if their mechanics are compromised in any meaningful way.'' William McGarvey, an orthopedic surgeon who worked for the Houston Rockets, pointed out that pain depends on how a player functions. McGarvey also noted that Haliburton is a triple threat, with the Pacers star averaging 17.9 points, 9.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds during the playoffs. 'If he's just bringing the ball up, distributing or in a position where he is just jumping up and down, trying to grab a rebound, it's a little more controlled,'' McGarvey told USA TODAY Sports. 'But if he's jumping for a rebound, if he's going up for a layup or a dunk, he's got to push off. He could hurt himself on landing. He could hurt himself if he's going up against another player. These guys get in awkward positions and they have to be fairly agile to be able to land effectively and things like that. 'The other issue here is how the injury is affecting him. Is it causing him to just have pain when he pushes off or is it because it's irritated? Is it causing him spasms so that even when he's sitting and resting, he's getting a crampy feeling in his leg?" Treating the injury Keith Jones, an athletic trainer who has worked for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets, said of a muscle sprain: 'Normally you'd do seven days of really not much, and then you reassess.'' No such luck for the Pacers, who had less than 72 hours after Game 5 to potentially get Haliburton ready for Game 6. Jones said he would prescribe hands-on therapy, be it massage or other manipulation of the muscle or muscle tissue. 'But a lot of ice, a lot of rest,'' he said. 'You could put someone in a boot just to take the strain off of it so ... they're walking on a boot instead of the heel-toe motion. Really isolate it and let it rest. Keep it elevated. Try to avoid inflammation, (there's) anti-inflammatory medications you can take. But the main thing is the body heals on its own. 'You can't speed it up. You can do things to create a better environment for healing to take place. But it's going to heal when it's supposed to heal." Cole said the treatment options are limited. 'If it's a calf strain, a true muscle strain, not a tendon, but muscle strain, they take a while to heal and there's no magic,'' he said. 'You can't inject anything in there. You can't give any kind of medications. There's no special hyperbaric oxygen or anything that's going to cure this thing in that period of time. 'So, it's just, is he a good healer? How bad is the strain? I haven't seen the MRI, so I don't know. … There's just not a lot of time to let a muscle injury recover if that's where it is.' Haliburton said he expected treatment to be near-constant. "I think just around-the-clock stuff as much as I can," Haliburton said. "Massage, needles, hyperbaric, H waves. Everything you can do to get as comfortable as you can going into it. The right tape and stuff while I am performing. I'm sure there's a bunch of medical professionals who could give you a better answer. Just doing everything I'm told. Trying to do everything I can." What are the risks? The mention of Kevin Durant might create fear for Pacer fans, if not Haliburton. During the 2019 playoffs, Durant, then playing for the Golden State Warriors, missed nine games with a calf injury. He returned to action during Game 5 of the 2019 Finals, with the Warriors trailing the Toronto Raptors 3-1. Two minutes into the second quarter, Durant ruptured his Achilles tendon, which sidelined him for about 18 months. The three orthopedic surgeons who spoke to USA TODAY Sports said there is no evidence that a strained calf can lead to a ruptured Achilles tendon. 'I would argue that playing with the strained calf just runs the risk of getting an escalation of symptoms related to the strained calf,'' Cole said. 'But ... an Achilles tendon ruptures in a very different location. A strained calf injury is a little bit higher up. 'So, I think that we would typically let a player play if they can tolerate the ability to play basketball, cut, pivot, change direction, and so forth. If they can tolerate all that, then we let them play.'' Anderson said Durant had preexisting issues with his Achilles tendon. He said an MRI would provide the Pacers clear evidence of whether the injury stems from the Achilles tendon or muscles above the tendon associated with calf strains. 'So when you have a calf strain, if it's in the muscle, there's absolutely no increased risk of Achilles tendon rupture,'' Anderson said. While talking about Haliburton, McGarvey said was he reminded of Michael Jordan playing with the flu during Game 5 of the 1997 Finals. Jordan scored 38 points and led the Chicago Bulls to a victory over the Utah Jazz. 'If you know your injury isn't going to be a career threatening thing, then it's really up to the individual as to how much they can tolerate and how much they want to go out there,'' McGarvey said. 'And leaders tend to get out and deal with it.''
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Shohei Ohtani wasn't happy with his Dodgers' pitching debut, but it should excite team
Shohei Ohtani wasn't happy with his Dodgers' pitching debut, but it should excite team Show Caption Hide Caption Does Alex Rodriguez think Ohtani should get back into pitching? Sports Seriously's Mackenzie Salmon asks Alex Rodriguez about the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani's focus on hitting than pitching right now. Sports Seriously LOS ANGELES — One of the biggest knocks Los Angeles Dodgers fans get is how relatively empty Dodger Stadium looks at first pitch. It makes sense, as dealing with rush hour traffic in L.A. just to get up Chavez Ravine is not for the faint of heart. But on the evening of Monday, June 16, not even bumper-to-bumper traffic was going to stop the majority of the crowd from being in their seats at 7:10 p.m. local time. It was an occasion they'd been waiting on for more than 18 months: Shohei Ohtani pitching in a Dodger uniform. Before the national anthem was played, the stadium was filled and the crowd was roaring as Ohtani emerged from the dugout and walked to the bullpen to warm-up for his first start of the season. As he got loose, crowds flooded the left field area just to get a peak of what they'd been eagerly anticipating. From the section that shares a wall with the pen to the top of the reserve level, fans hugged the railing like they're trying to get a high five from a WWE star. All the focus was on how Ohtani would do on the mound. By the end of night, it was the bat that reminded everyone what makes him a unicorn of a baseball player, and the possibilities in 2025. After one inning of work on the mound, Ohtani had two hits and two RBIs as the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres, 6-3, in what was a major step in the three-time MVP's full-time return to being a two-way star. "Not quite happy with the results overall," Ohtani said through translator Will Ireton. "But I think the biggest takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing." In a span of less than 24 hours, the matchup went from the series opener between division rivals and World Series contenders to all attention on Ohtani as a major league pitcher. It was his first time pitching since August 2023 – when he wore a Los Angeles Angels uniform – and first time since his second Tommy John surgery. It was a soft introduction back to the mound for the right-hander. But it was a bumpy road. Ohtani's first pitch was a 97 mph sinker Fernando Tatis Jr. fouled off. But he gave up a bloop single to the leadoff hitter and Luis Arraez hit a rocket in the gap to put runners on the corners with no outs, with the chance to massively spoil Ohtani's night. On the following at-bat, Manny Machado swung out of the zone on a sweeper, resulting in a sacrifice fly to score a run for San Diego. Then two consecutive groundouts got Ohtani out of the inning and limited the damage. He threw 28 pitches – 16 for strikes – and despite a 9.00 ERA, it was a positive outing for the team. "I thought it was great," said manager Dave Roberts. "Obviously gave up a run, but I thought the stuff was really good." It's now the norm for it to be a playoff atmosphere when the Padres and Dodgers meet, but you'd think a trip to the World Series was on the line with the intensity and electricity in the air in the first inning. And Ohtani certainly felt it. In his rehab work, Ohtani was throwing around the 95-96 mph range. In his first game, his fastball averaged 99.1 mph, and he reached 100 mph. The sinker hovered around 97 mph with 18 of his pitches at least 95 mph, and 14 above 98 mph. "I was aiming to sit 95-96 (mph), but the game intensity really allowed me to throw a little harder," Ohtani said. Roberts didn't expect to see triple digits on the radar gun, but he understood the adrenaline allowed Ohtani to turn it up a notch. Still, Roberts hopes he can turn it down a bit so he doesn't overexert himself and undo all the progress. Everyone in the dugout marveled at Ohtani coming off from throwing 28 pitches and going straight to putting on his batting gear, not even stopping for a drink of water. Third baseman Max Muncy admitted it hit differently to see it happen because "that's really hard to do." Ohtani struck out in his first at-bat, but he delivered in the batter's box not long after. He hit an RBI double in the bottom of the third through the left-center field gap to get back the run he gave up, and one inning later, his RBI single extended the lead for Los Angeles. He finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a walk and two strikeouts, and Roberts felt good about it, indicating he could still produce at the plate on start days. Granted it was after he pitched one inning and hyped on adrenaline, but it "didn't certainly affect the offensive performance," Roberts said. Shohei Ohtani's pitching plan Now with his first outing complete, Ohtani and Roberts both said the current plan is for him to pitch once a week. It's expected he will continue to start games every six to eight days, Roberts added, and the workload could go up. The Dodgers skipper wasn't going to let him throw more than 30 pitches in his debut, but he could go two innings his next time out, likely against the Washington Nationals on June 22. Still, no plan is set in stone. General manager Brandon Gomes said prior the contest that conversations are happening every day to feel out what is the next step. Ohtani noted since his velocity was higher than normal, he'll have to see how he feels when he wakes up before nailing down his next start. "I want to see first where my body feels and how it reacts," he said. "But the expectation is for me to go once a week, hopefully to be able to go a little longer every time I'm out there." It was only a glimpse, but it was enough for the Dodgers to feel good about where Ohtani is progressing, considering how his debut came together so quickly. Roberts admitted he was "fanboying" seeing it finally happen. With more encouraging nights like this, Ohtani could be headed back to being dominant at the plate and on the mound, a recipe the organization anticipates can lead to another title. "Overall, just a really positive day for us," Roberts said. "We're just kind of excited that we finally got that first one under our belt."
