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INDIANAPOLIS — Posting up on Alex Caruso, Pascal Siakam scored on a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to go into halftime. On the next quarter, Ben Sheppard matched his teammates' feat with his buzzer-beater on a last-season 3-pointer to put Indiana up by 30 points after three quarters.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were embarrassed in a 108-91 Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The 2025 NBA Finals are tied at 3-3, which means a decisive Game 7 will decide the championship winner.
A chance to close on the road, the Thunder started like a team that wanted to end the night covered in champagne. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams got into a groove early and built a 10-2 lead. The Pacers looked lost. Tyrese Haliburton looked a step slow. The Indiana crowd was quiet.
Then the Pacers ripped off a 24-7 run to retake the momentum. Andrew Nembhard stepped up as scorer. The Thunder suddenly couldn't get to the basket. The Pacers had a 28-25 lead after the first quarter. If you were OKC, you had to feel good about that spot. It couldn't waste a golden opportunity.
Well, they did. The Pacers ran the Thunder out of the gym. TJ McConnell continues to be a pest. Aaron Nesmith's corner 3-pointers demoralized OKC. A miscue between Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren on an alley-oop attempt directly led to another outside bucket. A few possessions later, Holmgren's outside attempt was blocked by Myles Turner.
Everything went the Pacers' way with a 36-17 scoring advantage. The Thunder entered halftime in a 64-42 deficit. Barring a historic comeback, these teams were set to face off one last time. As a last-ditch adjustment, the Thunder went with Alex Caruso over Hartenstein to start the second half.
The results were mixed. The Pacers couldn't buy a bucket. The Thunder's speed kept up with Indiana. The problem was on the other end, though. For the first four minutes, both teams exchanged misses. Then Haliburton's layup finally registered as the first second-half points.
It took Gilgeous-Alexander's lob to Hartenstein for the Thunder to finally break their scoring drought after nearly five minutes. But by then, the outcome was decided. The Pacers got in a groove and had a 26-18 scoring advantage in the third frame.
Sheppard's last-second 3-pointer was enough for the Thunder to wave the white flag. They exited the third frame in a 90-60 hole. The Thunder cleared the bench to start the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Pacers led by as many as 31 points.
The Thunder shot 42% from the field and went 8-of-30 (26.7%) from 3. They shot 21-of-26 on free throws. They had 14 assists on 41 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a quiet 21 points. Williams only tallied 16 points. Hartenstein finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Isaiah Joe scored 11 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Pacers shot 41% from the field and went 15-of-42 (35.7%) from 3. They shot 17-of-25 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 38 baskets. Six Pacers players scored double-digit points.
Haliburton gutted out 14 points and five assists. Siakam finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Nembhard had 17 points and four assists. Nesmith scored 10 points. Off the bench, Toppin had 20 points and McConnell tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Things could've gone any worse for the Thunder. They've struggled on the road all of the playoffs, but to this extent is rare. They played like a team that had two chances to clinch, while the Pacers looked like a team fighting for their season. Everything went wrong for OKC. It will get a chance to reset with Game 7 back at home.
For the next couple of days, though, they'll sit on this nasty loss. The Thunder had a chance to clinch their first championship on the road after two straight wins over the Pacers. They now get one more opportunity to do that back home. Albeit, most OKC fans preferred it to be done now.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: D
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Gilgeous-Alexander is no stranger to sitting out fourth quarters. He's done that plenty of times throughout the season. But this time, it happened for all the wrong reasons. The MVP winner couldn't orchestrate the Thunder out of one of their worst offensive performances ever.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws.
The stat line isn't too bad, but Gilgeous-Alexander got going too late. Considering what was at stake, you'd hope to see him play more aggressively. Especially when the Pacers began to run away on the scoreboard. The Thunder never looked comfortable. The turnover and outside shooting numbers reflected that.
Oh well. Got to shrug your shoulders and move. As bad as this loss was, it only counts for one. Gilgeous-Alexander will get a chance in Game 7 to cement his legacy as one of the greatest ever or go down as the face of one of the greatest collapses. No pressure.
Jalen Williams: C-minus
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Carrying his momentum from his 40-point outburst, Williams had it going early on. The 24-year-old pump-faked his way to reverse layups. The confidence can be felt from the top of the arena. And then it disappeared. The Thunder were buried on the scoreboard.
Williams finished with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, three rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-4 from 3 and went 4-of-5 on free throws.
The drives to the basket produced results, but Williams faded into the background too many times. The rest of the Thunder didn't have the scoring talent to make up for it. The Pacers took advantage as several role players outscored OKC's second-best player.
Like Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams couldn't leave his mark. The Thunder needed somebody to calm the waters. Instead, their two All-Star players succumb to Indiana's pressure. They must be better in Game 7 or risk not winning a championship after everything aligned for them to do so.
Chet Holmgren: F
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Missing on an alley-oop throw and getting his outside attempt blocked once again, Holmgren's offensive struggles finally boiled over. The defense has been valuable enough to stomach through his woes on the other end. But that was no longer the case.
Holmgren finished with four points on 2-of-9 shooting and six rebounds. He shot 0-of-3 from 3.
The shooting splits are as ugly as you could imagine. Maybe even worse. The Thunder have collected three wins in the NBA Finals with their third-best player regressing on that end of the floor, but you can only get away with that for so long before it gets exposed.
The Thunder need more from Holmgren. The drives to the basket have often looked awkward. Most result in bad misses or turnovers. Sometimes he's shown flashes of being an acrobatic seven-foot finisher through contact. But that needs to be more sustainable. He'll have one more chance to play better in Game 7.
If not and Holmgren's struggles continue, that could open the door to some awkward conversations. He'll be viewed as the biggest reason for their failure to win a championship despite being the heavy title favorite over the Pacers.
Alex Caruso: F
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Arriving in Indiana with a 3-2 series lead, Caruso refused to think about a championship. After all, the Thunder still needed one more win to clinch it. He said all the right cliches heading into Game 6 about avoiding complacency, but the body language said otherwise.
Caruso finished with zero points on 0-of-2 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He also had a block.
The Thunder tried to shake their mojo with a halftime lineup change. Caruso started over Hartenstein. No dice. The offensive problems continued as they went what felt like an hour to get back on the scoreboard.
You can't expect another 20-point outburst out of Caruso, but he has to be better than this. The 31-year-old headlines the Thunder's bench. His active voice has made him a locker room leader. With an upcoming Game 7, he will need to be better.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder embarrassed in 108-91 Game 6 loss to Pacers
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