The NBA Finals will be decided by a winner-takes-all game seven for the first time in nine years after the Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 in game 6 to level the series.
A fine attacking display from the Pacers, which included 20 points for Obi Toppin off the bench, stopped the Thunder from claiming the Championship in Indianapolis.
Star player Tyrese Haliburton, who missed game five with a calf injury, passed a late fitness test before tip-off and managed 14 points, five assists and two steals in 22 minutes of play.
“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 but will need a much improved performance to win their first Championship since 1979.
THE INSPIRATION
Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals was just 50 minutes away, and Indiana Pacers forward James Johnson needed a hand fulfilling one of his unofficial team duties. A key veteran voice for the blue and gold, Johnson was searching for a way to motivate his group ahead of a game in which they were fighting off elimination. Down 3-2 in the series, he wanted to write a quote on the locker room whiteboard. Something powerful and inspiring. But there was one problem. Johnson’s handwriting isn’t great.
“Who’s a good writer?” Johnson called out.
Bennedict Mathurin, celebrating his 23rd birthday, stepped up. Mathurin, competitive as ever, wants to be the best at everything, even penmanship. He grabbed a red marker. Johnson recited the quote, an old Muhammad Ali line about rising after a fall, word by word. Mathurin carefully scribbled it out, and the two worked together to get the spacing just right. 45 minutes before tipoff, they were done. Every player who walked through the locker room — all of them required to at least once — would see Mathurin’s handiwork and Johnson’s message.
The Pacers were going to need to heed the words printed in ink. They were down in the Finals and facing elimination for the first time of the postseason. A win was required, and they needed to recover after consecutive losses. Their opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder, won 68 games this season. Individual brilliance — while helpful, as Mathurin proved in Game 3 — is not enough to beat them. It takes a total team effort and sustained resilience. Johnson wanted to remind everyone of that before the pivotal battle.
It was a new situation for the Pacers, who have largely cruised through in this postseason until this series. Now, they were navigating new emotions as they faced a series defeat on the biggest stage the NBA provides. Nerves, pressure, and urgency all appeared. Getting their mentality right was critical, and that’s part of Johnson’s role. Wing Aaron Nesmith, who has played in an NBA Finals before, was asked later Thursday night which of his teammates helped steady the locker room.
“[Johnson] is always good about it,” Nemith began before talking about veteran forward Pascal Siakam. Nesmith feels as if it’s important to be even-keeled in a one-game setting, and experienced teammates help everyone else stay grounded.
So a small moment — one player who wanted a motivational quote on the whiteboard, another one eager to write it — became something bigger. It helped stabilize the locker room. And that quiet clarity carried over to the court, where the Pacers delivered one of their strongest performances of the season, hammering the Thunder and giving Gainbridge Fieldhouse one last moment to celebrate this season.
