Injury or not, Haliburton and Pacers force historic Game 7 in NBA Finals showdown
In a postseason full of surprises, it was only fitting that the NBA Finals would take one final, dramatic twist. Playing through a calf injury, All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers refused to go quietly, dominating the Oklahoma City Thunder 108–91 in Game 6 on Thursday to force the first Finals Game 7 since 2016.
Game 7 will be held Sunday in Oklahoma City, where the Pacers will attempt to do what no team has done this postseason: hand the Thunder back-to-back losses. It’s a monumental task — but one Indiana embraced with relentless pace, defensive pressure, and bench energy that turned a 10–2 first-quarter deficit into a rout.
Indiana’s 3-point shooting helped flip the early momentum, but it was their depth and defense that broke the game open. Andrew Nembhard, lauded for his defense on MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all series, contributed 17 points offensively. Obi Toppin added 20 off the bench, and Pascal Siakam chipped in 16, including a thunderous dunk and buzzer-beating jumper to close the first half with the Pacers up 64–42.
Though Oklahoma City briefly narrowed the gap to 18 in the third quarter, Indiana responded with a crushing run, capped by a deep Ben Sheppard 3-pointer that stretched the lead to 30. By the start of the fourth, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault had benched his starters.
Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 21 points but matched his career high with eight turnovers — several coming before the final quarter even began. Jalen Williams was limited to 16 points and was -40 in his 27 minutes on the floor. “It was collective. We weren’t where we needed to be on either end,” Daigneault said afterward. “We’ve got to be much better in Game 7.”
Meanwhile, Haliburton—playing with a compression sleeve and under watchful eyes after days of visible discomfort—scored 14 points in just 23 minutes. He looked far more mobile than in Game 5, where he went without a field goal. One sequence in the third quarter showed vintage form: after zipping a pass from the top of the arc, he sprinted into the paint, got the ball back, and calmly banked in a layup to give Indiana a 24-point lead.
Despite their inexperience—this is the franchise’s first Finals trip since 2000—the Pacers have consistently risen to the moment, with elimination wins over Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New York earlier in the playoffs. Now they must overcome one last obstacle: a Game 7 on the road, where NBA Finals teams are just 4–15 all-time.
“Everything’s on the line,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “We’re down to a two-game season. Now, it’s one game. One opportunity. This will be a monumental challenge.”
