Thunder vs Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton’s Game 7 Push Forces NBA Finals Showdown
INDIANAPOLIS — A closeout game that wasn’t close.
The Pacers delayed a
Thunder
parade,
routing OKC 108-91
on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Game 7 here we come.
Before that, though, let’s get to the Game 6 grades.
Pre-order book on the Thunder’s journey to the NBA Finals
Ball security: F
The Thunder got beat at its own game.
OKC committed 21 turnovers to Indiana’s 10. The Thunder lost the possession game, attempting 18 fewer field goals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander almost had as many turnovers (eight) as the Pacers did as a team.
Indiana outscored OKC 19-13 in points off turnovers. Could’ve been worse.
Too many live-ball turnovers for the Thunder led to too many fast-break buckets for the Pacers. Indiana doubled up OKC 22-11 in fast-break points.
“I thought that’s what ignited them,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
— Joe Mussatto, columnist
Defensive intensity: D-
The Thunder defense just wasn’t anywhere close to as locked in as it needed to be. Through three quarters — the game was decided then — the Thunder had forced only seven turnovers (to Oklahoma City’s 16) while giving up 12 second-chance points (to OKC’s four) and 19 fast-break points (to OKC’s five).
The Thunder didn’t force the issue defensively, and the Pacers made it pay.
OKC wasn’t good collectively as a defense or individually. Its best one-on-one defenders — Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace — were pedestrian. They combined for steal through three quarters and had a combined plus-minus of minus-66.
This team has won on bad offensive nights because its defense is so good, but Game 6 is proof that when the defense is bad, winning is nearly impossible.
—Jenni Carlson, columnist
Jalen Williams
: C-
The -40 for Williams in the plus/minus column is jarring.
Williams wasn’t good Thursday, but he wasn’t nearly as bad as that makes it seem.
He had 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting with three rebounds, one assist and three turnovers.
Williams had the worst plus/minus on the team followed by Alex Caruso (of all people) who was a -33. Lu Dort was a -28 in his 21 minutes.
— Joe Mussatto, columnist
3-point shooting: D-
Rough shooting nights on the road have become the norm for the Thunder in this playoff run.
The Thunder shot 3-of-20 from 3-point range in Quarters 1 through 3. OKC then shot 5-of-10 from deep in the fourth quarter, but the game was over by then.
Indiana has done a terrific job all series of capping the Thunder’s volume of 3-point attempts. Generating threes has been tough for OKC. Making them, even tougher.
Aaron Wiggins was responsible for the Thunder’s only made 3-pointer in the first half.
The Thunder’s starters combined to shoot 1-of-13 from three.
“I thought the low volume and the accuracy was reflective of the way they guarded us and our inability to create a rhythm against that the way we’ve been able to do in some of the other games,” Daigneault said. “We’ll look at it, learn from it. We obviously have to be a lot better on Sunday if we want to win the game.”
— Joe Mussatto, columnist
Capitalizing in the third quarter: D
The Thunder’s one good, sustained defensive stretch in Game 6 was at the start of the third quarter. It held the Pacers without a point on their first six possessions, forcing seven missed shots and one turnover.
It was Oklahoma City’s chance to get back into the game.
Yes, a 22-point halftime deficit was big, but score after four or five of those empty Pacer possessions, and the Thunder would’ve gotten the lead back to 12 or 14 points and been right back in the game.
Instead, the Thunder had its own drought, going eight possessions without scoring to start the second half. By the time it got on the board again, the Pacers had extended the lead to 28 points and any chance at a comeback was gone.
—Jenni Carlson, columnist
Tyrese Haliburton
: A+
Haliburton wasn’t Indiana’s leading scorer — shoutout Obi Toppin — or Indiana’s leading assist man — take a bow T.J. McConnell — but Haliburton was a team-best plus 25 in his 23 minutes Thursday night.
Not bad for a guy whose availability was supposedly in jeopardy given his calf strain.
Haliburton tallied 14 points and five assists. He turned it over once.
I’m grading Haliburton on a curve given his health status, but this was a big-time performance.
— Joe Mussatto, columnist
Reserves: C
The reserves get a passing grade only because the deep reserves — the third-stringers, really — played admirably in the fourth quarter. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault sat his starters and most of the rotational players for the entire frame. That left the likes of Ajay Mitchell, Jaylin Williams and Dillon Jones with the task of finishing out the rout.
But even as Pacers coach Rick Carlisle continued playing many of his starters, the Thunder reserves actually cut the lead. They outscored the Pacers 31-18 in the fourth.
That would’ve gotten the reserves a higher grade if not for how poorly the rotational reserves played earlier in the game. No points from Alex Caruso or Cason Wallace in the first three quarters. Only three apiece from Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe.
Through three quarters, the Pacers’ bench outscored the Thunder’s 31-6.
—Jenni Carlson, columnist
Thunder fans in Indy: A+
A giant tip of the cap to the hundreds of Thunder fans who made their way to Indianapolis for Game 6. Estimating just how many were inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse was difficult, but it was at least 500 and maybe as many as 1,000.
It wasn’t a cheap trip on short notice or a cheap ticket in a place that loves its team.
Then for the Pacers to take control of the game so early? That couldn’t have been any fun.
But Thunder fans, you were seen.
—Jenni Carlson, columnist
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman:
Thunder vs Pacers report card: Give Tyrese Haliburton credit for forcing NBA Finals Game 7
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