OKC Thunder Flattened by Pacers' Adjusted Defensive Strategy in Game 6

Amped by a 48-minute crowd and flat-out desperation, the Indiana Pacers extended the 2025 NBA Finals with a commanding 108-91 Game 6 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

Six Pacers scored double-digits, highlighted by Obi Toppin's 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting (4-for-7 3-pointers) off the bench. Pascal Siakam registered 16 points, 13 rebounds (five offensive), three assists, a block and an earth-shattering transition dunk over Jalen Williams in the second quarter's final minute. Siakam and Ben Sheppard each hit buzzer-beating jumpers to help Indiana lead by 30 points after three quarters. Reserve T.J. McConnell recorded 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Oklahoma City's No. 1 defense did not play with nearly enough intensity to contain an unselfish, free-flowing unit — but its biggest issues popped up on the other end. Outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, who used their self-creation to exploit occasional first-half holes, the Thunder had a challenging time creating quality looks in half-court offense. Its starters shot 1-for-13 from beyond the arc, with Luguentz Dort swishing a third-quarter 28-footer despite a great defensive possession.

The Pacers knocked down 11 more triples on 15 more attempts through three quarters, more than enough to place the Thunder's body in the coffin. The final nail: An uncharacteristic Thunder turnover differential. Six Indiana players nabbed multiple steals, forcing Oklahoma City into 16 live-ball turnovers out of 21 total. The normally ball-secure Gilgeous-Alexander racked up a destructive eight giveaways, and Williams and Aaron Wiggins both finished with three. The Pacers attempted 18 more field goals and held the Thunder to a 90.7 offensive rating, even with the road team posting a 31-point garbage-time fourth quarter.

What changed from the prior three games? Indiana's defense did not apply nearly as much full-court pressure, increasing its stamina for excellent help and rotations while preventing Oklahoma City from creating mismatches in early offense. Andrew Nembhard contained Gilgeous-Alexander as well as anyone could realistically hope to do with more contagious effort, and Siakam took the Williams assignment in stride following the Thunder forward's early success. Myles Turner helped hold Chet Holmgren to four points — all in the game's first four minutes.

The Pacers also did not force tons of turnovers by accident. They threw more frequent backside double teams on the Thunder's driving attempts and mucked up passing lanes effectively, causing Oklahoma City starters to throw more bad pass turnovers (six) than assists (four). The Thunder would allow a potential championship to slip through its fingers with another similar performance.

Game 7 between the Thunder and Pacers begins this Sunday, June 22 at 7 p.m. CST. It will be the first winner-take-all Finals clash since LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors, 93-89, on June 19, 2016.