There will be a Game 7.
Behind a double-double from Pascal Siakam and double-digit scoring efforts from six different players, the Indiana Pacers rolled to a 108–91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
The series is now tied at three games apiece and will advance to a winner-take-all Game 7, just the 20th Game 7 in NBA Finals history, and the first since 2016.
"We just wanted to protect home court. We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor," Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton said on the ABC broadcast after the game. "Backs against the wall—we just responded."
Facing elimination Thursday night, the Pacers got off to a slow start and missed their first eight attempts from the field to fall behind 10–2. But they rallied to take a three-point lead into the second quarter, and went on a furious 30–9 run over the final nine minutes of the first half to grab a commanding 22-point advantage into the break.
Siakam put an exclamation point on the Pacers' first-half rally. After Tyrese Haliburton deflected a pass on defense in the final minute of the half, Siakam caught a pass from his point guard in transition and threw down a rim-rattling poster dunk over Thunder wing Jalen Williams.
UNBELIEVABLE PLAY FROM TYRESE AND PASCAL 😤
— NBA (@NBA) June 20, 2025
GAINBRIDGE FIELDHOUSE GOING WILD!! https://t.co/MNT3QrwpDo pic.twitter.com/DHIMPT4WcT
Siakam finished the night with 16 points and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes.
Haliburton, who was questionable to play in Game 6 due to calf strain, was officially ruled active just a few hours before tipoff. He rebounded nicely from a disappointing four-point effort in Game 5, scoring 14 points with five assists in 23 minutes.
"It's the Finals," Haliburton said on ABC. "All of us got to give everything we have. I give everything I have for this group and this locker room. ... My guys have had my back all year, especially tonight, and that means the world to me."
Oklahoma City committed 21 turnovers in the loss and shot just 26.7% from three-point range (8 of 30). Jalen Williams had a particularly rough night, missing all four of his attempts from downtown and finishing with a plus/minus rating of -40.
The Pacers and Thunder will meet again at 8 p.m. ET Sunday for Game 7 at Paycom Center to crown a new champion. A win for the Pacers would mark their first NBA title in franchise history, while a victory for Oklahoma City would clinch the franchise's first championship since 1979 when Dennis Johnson led the Seattle SuperSonics' triumph over the Washington Bullets in five games.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pascal Siakam, Pacers Dominate Thunder to Force Game 7 in NBA Finals.
