Siakam posts double-double as Pacers pound Thunder to force decisive Game 7 in NBA Finals

Tim Reynolds · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 11:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Season connected the line, the Indiana Pacers did what they've done clip and clip again. They bucked the odds.

And the NBA Finals are going to an eventual game.

Obi Toppin scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., added 17 and the Pacers forced a winner-take-all Game 7 by rolling past the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 connected Thursday night.

The archetypal Game 7 successful the NBA Finals since 2016 is Sunday nighttime successful Oklahoma City.

"The eventual game," Pacers manager Rick Carlisle said.

Game 6 was a microcosm of Indiana's play successful a way. The Pacers started the regular play with 15 losses successful 25 games, person had 5 comebacks from 15 oregon much down to triumph games successful these playoffs, and they're 1 triumph from a title.

"We conscionable wanted to support location court," Haliburton said. "We didn't privation to spot these guys observe a title connected our location floor. Backs against the partition and we conscionable responded. ... Total squad effort."

TJ McConnell, the spark disconnected the seat again, finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds and six assists for Indiana.

Hamilton, Ont.'s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for the Thunder, who pulled their starters aft getting down by 30 going into the fourth. Jalen Williams added 16.

"Credit Indiana," Thunder manager Mark Daigneault said. "They earned the win. They outplayed america for astir of the 48 minutes. They went retired determination and attacked the game."

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Good quality for the Thunder: location teams are 15-4 successful finals Game 7s. Bad quality for the Thunder: Cleveland won astatine Golden State successful the astir caller of those and 1 of the 3 different home-team losses was successful 1978 — by Seattle, the franchise that would determination to Oklahoma City 3 decades later.

Indiana missed its archetypal 8 shots and got down 10-2. The arena, roaring conscionable a fewer minutes earlier astatine the start, quieted quickly. Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, sitting courtside successful a Jalen Rose Pacers jersey, was pacing, kneeling, mostly acting much tense than helium ever seemed arsenic a player.

No need.

The worst besides came successful these playoffs: a 45-point spread against Minnesota successful the Western Conference finals. The Thunder came backmost to triumph that series, obviously, and present volition request that bounce-back quality 1 much time.

"Obviously, it was a precise mediocre show by us," Daigneault said.

The Thunder, hopeless for a spark, enactment Alex Caruso successful the starting lineup successful spot of Isaiah Hartenstein to unfastened the 2nd half. There was nary spark. In fact, determination was thing whatsoever — neither squad scored successful the archetypal 3:53 aft halftime, the sides combining to miss their archetypal 13 shots of the 3rd quarter.

And the result was ne'er successful doubt.