Staff Reporter.
The Indiana Pacers stormed to a 108-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, leveling the NBA finals at three games apiece and setting up a decisive Game 7 in Oklahoma City.
Obi Toppin came off the bench to score 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17 points with four assists and Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds as Indiana bounced back from consecutive losses.
Tyrese Haliburton cleared to play only hours before tipoff due to a strained right calf, delivered 14 points, five assists and two steals in 22 high-impact minutes.
“We just wanted to protect our court,” Haliburton said.
“We didn’t want to see those guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. Backs against the wall, we just responded.
“So many different guys chipped in. It was a whole team effort. I’m really proud of this group.”
The victory means the NBA finals will go to game seven for the first time since 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers won their first Championship with a 4-3 series win against the Golden State Warriors.
The Thunder will host game seven on Monday (01:00 BST) but will need a much improved performance to win their first Championship since 1979.
Results
Game one: Thunder 110-111 Pacers (Indiana lead 1-0)
Game two: Thunder 123-107 Pacers (Series tied 1-1)
Game three: Pacers 116-103 Thunder (Indiana lead 2-1)
Game four: Pacers 104-111 Thunder (Series tied 2-2)
Game five: Thunder 120-109 Pacers (Oklahoma Cit lead 3-2)
Game six: Pacers 108-91 Thunder (Series tied 3-3)
Game seven: Thunder v Pacers (Monday, 23 June 01:00 BST).