OKLAHOMA CITY – The Indiana Pacers gave it their all, but they couldn’t survive the loss of their star player, losing Game 7 of the NBA Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-91.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points and 12 assists to lead the Thunder. Jalen Williams added 20 and Chet Holmgren 18.
Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points. Pascal Siakam and TJ McConnell chipped in 16, while Andrew Nembhard scored 15.
The Pacers took a one-point lead at halftime at 48-47 after a three-pointer from Nembhard in the waning moments of the second quarter.
That was the high water mark for Indiana.
Oklahoma City took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Pacers 34-20 in the period to take a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter. The lead ballooned to 22 in the fourth.
The Pacers couldn’t get out of their own way—or avoid Oklahoma City’s suffocating defense. As had been the case at the Paycom Center, the game hinged on turnovers. The Pacers had too many of them—especially in the crucial third quarter—and it proved to be their undoing.
For the game, Indiana had 23 turnovers to OKC’s 8. The Thunder turned the Pacers’ miscues into 32 points, while Indiana scored just 10 points off the Thunder’s mistakes. The staggering disparity turned the game in Oklahoma City’s favor.
Without Haliburton there to space the floor, push the pace, and distribute, the Pacers’ offense went stagnant. For a time, TJ McConnell kept the Pacers in the game, scoring 12 points in the third quarter to keep his team within striking distance.
OKC found their shooting touch from three-point range in the third, and it buried Indiana. The Pacers couldn’t find much on offense aside from McConnell’s constant drives and fadeaways.
The Pacers pulled within 12 with 4:34 left in the game and whittled it down to 10 twice in the closing minutes. Ultimately, they didn’t have enough firepower to overcome the self-inflicted wounds.
For the Pacers, the loss brought an end to a magical playoff run that included an improbable comeback win in each series, with Milwaukee, Cleveland, New York and Oklahoma City each losing a game they appeared to have well in hand.
The franchise’s attention now turns to Haliburton’s health. His father told the broadcast that Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury. It’s the type of injury with a long recovery time.
Haliburton, playing with a calf strain, went down in the first quarter. He immediately pounded on the floor and appeared to be in pain. He couldn’t put any weight on his right foot; teammates and staff had to help him to the locker room.
The Pacers star had started the game hot, scoring nine points on 3-4 shooting from three-point range.