On Thursday evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Indiana Pacers by a score of 108-91.
With the Game 6 loss, the series is now tied up at 3-3.
After the tough game, 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made an honest statement when he met with the media.
Gilgeous-Alexander: "The way I see it is we sucked tonight. We have to learn the lessons and we have one game for everything. For everything we worked for... The better team Sunday will win."
Gilgeous-Alexander finished the loss with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists while shooting 7/15 from the field and 0/1 from the three-point range in 31 minutes of playing time.
Via StatMuse (before Game 6): "Shai in closeout games:
30.3 PPG
5.2 RPG
5.2 APG
1.5 SPG
on 55/50% shooting."
Shai in closeout games:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 19, 2025
30.3 PPG
5.2 RPG
5.2 APG
1.5 SPG
on 55/50% shooting. pic.twitter.com/AjYjipqHZ1
The Thunder have had a magical season (led by Gilgeous-Alexander).
The All-Star guard helped the team finish as the first seed in the Western Conference with a 68-14 record.
The Pacers have done a good job in keeping him in check.
Via Evan Sidery of Forbes: "Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has more turnovers than assists in the NBA Finals when guarded by Andrew Nembhard:
11 assists
12 turnovers
41.2 FG% (21/51 FGA)"
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has more turnovers than assists in the NBA Finals when guarded by Andrew Nembhard:
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 20, 2025
11 assists
12 turnovers
41.2 FG% (21/51 FGA) pic.twitter.com/yzKqchrrCF
Game 7 of the series will be on Sunday night (in Oklahoma City).
Via The NBA: "The two best words in sports...
GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7"
The two best words in sports...
— NBA (@NBA) June 20, 2025
GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7
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Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic spent about a year together as Dallas Mavericks teammates, and that was more than enough time for Irving to collect some incredible practice stories about his former teammate. During a recent Twitch stream, Irving opened up about some of the things he saw Doncic do during Mavericks practices. He revealed that Doncic would put up absurd stat lines against his teammates, and once scored 24 points against someone in a three-minute span. “He’s giving you probably 60, 18, and 18,” Irving said. “I witnessed him give somebody 24 points in three minutes.” Based on Irving’s description, the big numbers feel like a fairly common occurrence. That might not quite be Caitlin Clark-levels of dominance, but it is pretty impressive all the same. There are some indications that Doncic is also starting to get his fitness in order. That might spell very bad news for opposing teams, and even opposing players in Los Angeles Lakers practices.
Shedeur Sanders has been working with the Cleveland Browns' equipment staff as the No. 4 quarterback this summer. He'll have a new opportunity following the troubling injury news for Kenny Pickett. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pickett suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's practice and will not receive reps until his issue is re-evaluated. "Browns QB Kenny Pickett injured his hamstring near the end of Saturday’s practice and is expected to re-evaluate the injury later this week, per sources," Schefter posted on X. "Pickett was coming off a strong couple of practices, per sources, and at least for the short term, there now will be more reps for Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett's injury will shake up the quarterback race in Cleveland. Through OTAs and early in training camp, Sanders has been the odd man out as the only signal caller on the roster not to receive reps with the first-team offense. It's unclear if the Browns coaching staff intends to give Sanders reps with the first-team offense now that Pickett is sidelined, but the fifth-round pick will have more chances this week to prove that he deserves an opportunity to stay in Cleveland. The Browns are in a unique situation with their rookie quarterbacks. Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel was selected before Sanders, but the son of Deion Sanders fell to Day 3 of the draft for reasons other than talent. The majority of draft analysts had Sanders as a better-graded quarterback than Gabriel, and many thought the Colorado product would be taken in the first round. The Browns can use the injury as an excuse to give Sanders reps with the first team, and it's a task they need to take advantage of before the team names a starter. Sanders has the potential to be a starter in the league, and this week is pivotal for his rookie season in Cleveland.
Caitlin Clark is expected to sit out for a fourth straight game on Sunday when the Indiana Fever take on the Chicago Sky in a much-awaited rivalry matchup. The 23-year-old is still dealing with a reaggravated groin strain and has no timetable to return. The rest of her Fever teammates have had to step up in her absence. There is, perhaps, no other player who has taken a bigger role on the offensive end amid Clark’s injury spell than three-time All-Star Kelsey Mitchell. Mitchell, however, struggled with her shot in Thursday’s win against the Las Vegas Aces. The 5-foot-8 guard shot the ball poorly in the first three quarters, going just 4-of-19 from the field for 12 points. Mitchell caught fire in the fourth, though. She went 4-of-5 in the final frame for nine points, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-24 shooting. This is exactly why head coach Stephanie White remains completely confident in Mitchell’s scoring ability. The veteran coach has made it clear that she has given Mitchell the green light to shoot the rock. “The biggest thing with Kelsey is just telling her, ‘Let it fly.’ It’s going to go,” White said after Thursday’s win against Las Vegas. "... Keep shooting it from outside. She made some big ones when we needed them.” Kelsey Mitchell Has Stepped up Amid Clark's Injury Mitchell has answered the call for the Fever of late. In the three games Clark has been sidelined, Mitchell has put up averages of 22.0 points on 42.9% shooting. She also knocked down 2.7 triples during that stretch on a 34.8% clip. The 29-year-old veteran will need to keep her foot on the gas on Sunday as the Fever try to take down the Sky at United Center. With Clark watching from the bench, the Fever will rely on Mitchell’s scoring against Chicago as they look to improve on their 13-12 record. The Fever and Sky meet at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on ABC.
A big development has emerged in the Dylan Samberg-Winnipeg Jets contract negotiations, and there appears to be mutual interest in a long-term deal. The Winnipeg Jets and defenceman Dylan Samberg have a lot of work to do if they are going to avoid a July 30 arbitration hearing, which is now only two days away. Dylan Samberg was one of three Jets players who filed for arbitration earlier this summer, along with forwards Gabriel Vilardi and Morgan Barron. Though both forwards signed brand new contracts well in advance of their respective hearings, Samberg is still unsigned with the deadline looming large. Now at the age of 26, Samberg is coming off a two-year contract that paid him $1.4 million per season and is in line for a substantial increase. Samberg had the sixth-best plus/minus rating in the entire NHL He was a vital contributor on Winnipeg's blue line last season, recording six goals, 14 assists, for 20 points in 60 games, but what really stood out was his +34 rating, which was sixth-best in the entire league. His consistent play and growing responsibilities on the back end have established him as an integral component of the Jets' top-four defensive corps, and the team will want to do whatever they can to retain him for the long haul. There's a lot of interest in getting a long-term agreement done on both sides. NHL insider Murat Ates doesn't see why it wouldn't get done, and believes the Jets need to value Samberg's defensive game, rather than just his point totals. 'Lots of interest in a long term deal. I don't see why it wouldn't get done. That said, a lot of people assume it will be easy. In practice, it's tough to price such a positive defensive impact. Pay Samberg for points+TOI and you don't pay him enough. Big day.' - Murat Ates Elliotte Friedman also revealed that should it actually get to arbitration, the two sides will only be allowed to agree to a one-year deal, which will essentially walk Samberg to unrestricted free agency. This is why hammering out a long-term deal now is so important. Arbitration has a tendency to ruin relationships between teams and players. Former Jets Jacob Trouba and Andrew Copp both abandoned the organization following really rough hearings. Winnipeg will certainly be hoping to avoid the same result with Samberg, whose consistency and value continue to increase with each passing game.