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Nightly Pulse: NBA Finals Game 6 Live Blog

Lock in for NBA Finals Game 6 between the Thunder and Pacers with the Nightly Pulse, featuring live scores, highlights & more.

NBA.com Staff

🏀 NBA Finals Game 6

Indiana Pacers 108, Oklahoma City Thunder 91

🏁 Pacers rout Thunder, force Game 7

Pacers 108, Thunder 91

The Pacers came into tonight with their backs against the wall and their star player’s calf in a wrap. Down 3-2, a loss would have ended the season in front of the home crowd. 

In the early goings, the tension in Gainbridge Fieldhouse was popular. Jalen Williams and the Thunder were off to another hot start. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle didn’t like the looks of things and called an early timeout to settle his team. It worked.

The Pacers went from trailing 10-2 to leading by the end of the first quarter, and that was only a foreshadowing. Indiana blew the roof off in the second, outscoring the Thunder 36-17 to take a commanding lead into the locker room.

Indiana had forced 12 OKC turnovers while only committing two on its own end. The teams largely played to a stalemate in the third. The fourth quarter was primarily left up to the reserves on both sides.

All eyes were on Tyrese Haliburton going into Game 6 after he injured his calf in Monday’s Game 5 loss. Though he was cleared before tip, it was still anyone’s guess as to how he would play. Just like he has all postseason, Haliburton stepped up. 

Despite a relatively cold start, Haliburton settled into the flow and found his rhythm. He finished with 14 points, five assists and two steals and the box score doesn’t quite tell the story of the magnitude of his presence. 

Perhaps most importantly for the Pacers, Haliburton only needed to play 23 minutes before Carlisle called him back to the bench for the remainder of the game. 

Of course, it wasn’t only about Haliburton. It’s been a team effort from the Pacers all postseason long and that was the case again Thursday. Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and T.J. McConnell were all sensational. And that’s without even mentioning Obi Toppin’s team-leading 20 points off the bench.

This series has been a classic already. Let’s see what’s in store Sunday in OKC.

👇 Game 6 takeaways

  • The two best words in sports: Game 7. It’s been an unbelievable Finals befitting of an epic postseason. And it’s not over yet. The Thunder have looked like the team to beat at several points, but the Pacers have never stopped pushing. Tonight, the shoe was on the other foot and the Pacers looked like the dominant 1-seed. They led by as many as 31 en route to a 108-91 win to force Game 7.
  • 🕺Stayin’ alive: The Pacers were on the brink of elimination tonight and their star player was playing at less than 100 percent as Tyrese Haliburton battled through a calf strain. Indiana found a way to get it done and extend the series. A huge second quarter helped fuel what became an insurmountable lead for the Pacers.
  • Stats tell the story:  The Thunder shot 41.9 percent from the floor compared to the Pacers’ 41.3 percent. The Thunder were only rebounded by five boards. They won the free throw battle. And yet, the Pacers still won by 17. How? Turnovers, fast break points, and three-point shooting. Indiana flipped the script and played a hounding brand of defense, forcing 21 turnovers and racking up 22 fast break points. Meanwhile, Indiana only had 11 turnovers, many of which came in the second half with the game out of reach. Additionally, the Thunder could not find the range tonight. They went just 8-for-30 from deep on the night while Indiana went 15-for-42.
  • How will Oklahoma City respond? The Thunder had lost two games in this series previously, but those came by a combined 10 points. The game got away from OKC on Thursday and the team mustered a season-low 60 points through three quarters. Looking further back in the playoffs, the Thunder have absorbed two double-digit losses between their series against the Nuggets and Timberwolves. They managed to win the next game by 32 and two points, respectively.

🥇 Top Game 6 performers

  • Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers: 14 points (5-12 FG), five assists, two steals and +25 rating in 23 minutes despite Game 5 calf injury.
  • Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers: 16 points (6-14 FG) 13 rebounds, three assists and one block.
  • T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers: 12 points (6-12 FG) nine rebounds, six assists and four steals in 24 minutes off the bench.
  • Obi Toppin, Indiana Pacers: Team-leading 20 points off bench to go with six rebounds and two steals.
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: Team-leading 21 points (7-15 FG, 7-8 FT), four rebounds and two assists.

👀 Pacers up big going into 4th quarter

Pacers 90, Thunder 60

Indiana is keeping the pedal to the metal with a 30-point lead going into the 4th quarter. They absorbed a 10-point run from the Thunder during the third and managed to outscore them 26-18 in the period.

Per the ESPN broadcast, 60 is the fewest points Oklahoma City has scored through three quarters all season. 

Ben Sheppard chimed in with the exclamation to close out the third, draining a buzzer-beating triple to push the lead to 30.

💪 The Siakam Slam ™

Pascal Siakam has set the social media world ablaze with this absurd dunk to put the exclamation point on Indiana’s explosive second quarter.

Let’s have a look (and listen) at the best posts from this posterization.

International flare

Hear the calls for Siakam’s slam in Portuguese and Korean. Dunks are a universal language.

All the angles

The Poster in all its glory

🎬 Third quarter: Action

We’re underway for the second half of Game 6. Defense has ruled thus far this half with the Thunder and Pacers opening the half a combined 0-for-11.

The Thunder have a 22-point hole to climb out of in order to make the comeback tonight and just over 20 minutes to make it happen.

Get to ABC to catch the end of Game 6.

🔥 Indiana up big at half

Pacers 62, Thunder 42

The Pacers took a three-point lead into the second quarter. They now lead by 22. So, what happened in the second quarter?

The Pacers outscored the Thunder 36-17 in the period and shot 56 percent from the floor compared to OKC’s 35 percent in the period. Indiana also had more opportunities in the quarter with 27 FGA compared to OKC’s 17.

Defense and forcing turnovers have been a calling card for the Thunder all season and all series. The script has flipped tonight, though, as Indiana is playing lockdown defense and winning the turnover battle. The Pacers have forced 12 turnovers and only committed two.

This sequence below is emblematic of how the second quarter unfolded.

We’ve seen Indiana come back from huge deficits in the playoffs. How will they be able to keep the Thunder at bay in the second half now that the Pacers have their largest lead of the series? And how will the Thunder respond after a tough second quarter, especially in this environment?

The second half promises to be a fun one. Get to ABC and buckle up.

📊First half stat leaders

Points Rebounds Assists Blocks Steals
Pacers Siakam, 13 McConnell, 5 Haliburton, 4 3 tied with 1 Nembhard, 3
Thunder J. Williams, 16 Holmgren, 5 Caruso, 2 3 tied with 1 N/A

💯 McConnell masterclass

Indiana’s T.J. McConnell is doing it all tonight in his 11 minutes off the bench. He has a game-high five rebounds to go with eight points, three assists and two steals.

Indiana currently has its largest lead of the game at 13 points with 4:00 to go in the first half.

🔥 Haliburton hits another

Tyrese Haliburton found his spot and sunk his second triple of the game to get him to seven points on the night. That shot gave the Pacers a six-point lead as we reach the middle of the second quarter.

🤣 Dap me up! Or not…

T.J. McConnell had to resort to the self-five after Tyrese Haliburton missed the dap opportunity as he checked back in. Tough.

😲 Pacers lead Thunder after wild first quarter

Pacers 28, Thunder 25

The Thunder landed the first punches tonight, taking a quick eight-point lead to force an early timeout. The Pacers responded with a run of their own, making six straight field goals and getting out to a nine-point lead.

The Thunder weren’t going to go away that easy, though. Even in a hostile environment. OKC held the Pacers scoreless over the last 1:42 and scored the final five points of the period to draw closer.

Catch the second half now on ABC.

🎯 Haliburton on the board

Tyrese Haliburton is battling through a calf strain tonight but he’s still giving it his all. He canned his first triple of the game to ignite an already frenzied crowd that has seen the Pacers take over following a shaky start.

🥊 Pacers punching back

In a frenetic first quarter, the Pacers have battled from eight points down to take a three-point lead over the Thunder and regain control in the early goings.

A massive storyline entering tonight centered on which Pacer would step up to offset any rust from Tyrese Haliburton. So far, the answer has been Andrew Nembhard, who is up to eight points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting.

The Pacers started 0-8 from the floor and have gone 6-for-6 since then. Peep this unbelievable and-1 from Siakam, too.

🔥 J-Dub picking up where he left off

OKC’s Jalen Williams is coming off of a 40-point outing in Game 5 and looks to be in good form again tonight. He’s scored four of the Thunder’s first eight points to help force the Pacers to spend an early timeout.

👉 Pacers vs Thunder Game 6 matchup

The season is on the line for the home team Pacers tonight, while a title is on the line for the Thunder. These two teams will be bringing two very different mindsets to the court, but they share the same goal.

The Pacers got some huge news earlier Thursday with Tyrese Haliburton (calf) being cleared to play. He went through warmups and will start. Coach Rick Carlisle says that he is not under any minutes restriction.

On top of the clutch game-winner in Game 1, Haliburton has provided the Pacers with 15.0 points and 7.2 assists per game throughout the series. The Pacers have also gotten huge performances from Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner, and will need more of the same tonight especially if Haliburton is less than 100 percent.

Unsurprisingly, the Thunder have been lifted by their foundation. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams have been remarkable in this series. SGA is averaging 32.4 points, which ranks in the top 25 all-time for points per game in a single NBA Finals. Williams is having his star turn as well, highlighted by his 40-point outing in the Game 5 win.

This series has brought the goods from Game 1 onward with terrific and competitive basketball. Expect more of the same tonight with the Pacers fighting to keep their season alive in front of the home crowd while the Thunder aim to take home their first Larry O’Brien trophy.

Pacers lineup tonight

Tyrese Haliburton is set to start tonight for the Pacers.

Thunder lineup tonight

💪 Haliburton ready to roll

Tyrese Haliburton (calf) will be active for the Pacers in Game 6.

The Pacers have their leader ready to play tonight as Tyrese Haliburton (calf) is officially good to go. Here’s what coach Rick Carlisle had to say earlier Thursday:

And here’s Hali getting some shots up in pregame:

Haliburton has been instrumental to the Pacers’ playoff run thus far with more clutch moments in one postseason than most players could dream of having in an entire career. He’ll have another chance to cement his status as an Indiana legend tonight just days removed from suffering a calf strain.

📸 Game 6 warmups

SGA the MVP is getting loose ahead of a potential coronation tonight in Indianapolis.

Tyrese Haliburton is testing things out in pregame ahead of a crucial Game 6.

Siakam showing off the joga bonito with some nifty footwork before the game. Will it come in handy tonight? TBD.

🥳 Birthday Benn

Bennedict Mathurin turns 23 today. Getting to play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals is a pretty good present in our humble opinion.

He looks locked in.

🍿 Pacers vs Thunder Game 6 Storylines

  • Will a champ be crowned tonight, or will there be a Game 7? It’s a potential Finals clincher tonight with the Thunder just one win away from being crowned as NBA champions. To do so, they’ll have to get it done on the road in a raucous road environment against a Pacers team with its back against the wall. We’ve seen some incredibly competitive games throughout the series and we might have another classic in store tonight.
  • Haliburton good to go: A key storyline hanging over the Pacers since Monday has been the status of Tyrese Haliburton, who suffered a strained calf in the Game 5 loss. Even with the extra rest time, it’s still a tight turnaround to come back. Haliburton is battling through it, though, and will play without a minutes restriction as the Pacers look to force a Game 7.
  • Can OKC find the rhythm offensively? Oklahoma City’s offense has stagnated a bit on the road in this series. Only 36.5 percent of their made field goals have been assisted on the road compared to a 52.1 assist rate at home. That detail has ripple effects into the Thunder’s entire offensive efficiency. The OKC offensive rating is 118.1 in three home games vs 109.5 in the two games in Indy. It’ll be on Kia MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the rest of the Thunder’s Big 3 to get the offense in gear early and keep it going for 48 minutes. Read more on the OKC offense in today’s 4 things to watch.

📰 NBA Finals news and notes

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