Indianapolis. The NBA Finals are going the distance.

The Indiana Pacers extended their title hopes with a dominant 108–91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, knotting the best-of-seven series at 3-3 and forcing a decisive Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City.

It will mark the 20th time in NBA history that the Finals go to a seventh game. Historically, home teams hold a 15-4 record in such matchups, but history doesn’t guarantee safety. The last Game 7 in the Finals was in 2016, when LeBron James led Cleveland to a dramatic road win over Golden State.

Sunday’s showdown will also be just the second Finals game ever to take place on June 22. The only other instance was in 1994, when Houston edged New York in a Game 7 classic. Aside from the pandemic-affected seasons of 2020 and 2021, only the 1999 and 2005 Finals have ended later.

Haliburton Powers Through Pain

Despite battling a strained right calf, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton delivered a gritty performance that set the tone for Indiana. Playing only 23 minutes, he scored 14 points and sparked a momentum shift with a steal and no-look assist that electrified the home crowd.

“If I can walk, then I want to be out there,” Haliburton said after the win.

The All-Star guard, who has struggled with lower leg issues throughout the series, looked nearly immobile during Game 5. But on Thursday, he was back to jumping, cutting, and firing from deep—even slapping hands with fans after setting up a dunk by Pascal Siakam over two Thunder defenders.

Indiana used a balanced attack to overwhelm the Thunder, building a lead early and never letting go. Siakam, Myles Turner, and Andrew Nembhard all contributed key buckets, while the Pacers’ defense limited OKC to one of its lowest scoring outputs of the playoffs.

Thunder Still Chasing History

For Oklahoma City, Thursday’s loss delayed what could be a historic season. With 83 combined wins between the regular season (68) and playoffs (15), the Thunder are tied with the 2016-17 Warriors for fourth-most in a single season.

One more win on Sunday would move them into a tie for third all-time with the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, who tallied 84.

Here’s where the Thunder stand on the all-time wins chart:

• 88 wins – Warriors (2015-16)

• 87 wins – Bulls (1995-96)

• 84 wins – Bulls (1996-97)

• 83 wins – Warriors (2016-17), Thunder (2024-25)

While Oklahoma City can still make history, all eyes are now on Game 7. With everything on the line and both teams just one win away from an NBA title, Sunday’s finale promises high drama and a legacy-defining moment.

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