Tuesday, June 17

Sports Mole previews Friday's NBA Finals clash between Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

The Indiana Pacers will hope to keep their NBA title hopes alive when they lock horns against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Six of the 2025 Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday.

OKC, meanwhile, will head back to Indianapolis with a 3-2 series advantage, meaning they only need one more victory to end their 46-year wait for a championship.

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Match preview

 

Having not lost consecutive matches dating back to March, the Pacers could not have picked a worse time to end that streak, as they fell to a 120-109 loss at the PayCom Center in Tuesday's pivotal Game Five.

Rick Carlisle's men were far from their best in the opening half and trailed by as many as 18 just shy of the interval, but after cutting the deficit to two in the early exchanges of the fourth quarter, another remarkable comeback looked to be on the cards.

However, the Eastern Conference champions went on to give up an 18-4 run over the subsequent three and a half minutes, which left them with too much ground to make up heading down the final stretch.

Despite his recent playoff heroics, Tyrese Haliburton has continued to split opinion regarding his status as a superstar, with some claiming he is too inconsistent to be labelled one, and his latest performance would have done little to dispel that notion as he tallied a joint career playoff low of four points while also missing all six shots.

Now trailing for the first time in a series this year, the Pacers must now respond in Friday's encounter to force a Game Seven back in Oklahoma, and they simply cannot afford a repeat of their 22 turnovers last time out which formed the bedrock for a shambolic display.

With a 68-14 record, the Oklahoma City Thunder enjoyed one of the most dominant regular-season campaigns in NBA history and are on the verge of capping it all off with a long-awaited Larry O'Brien trophy.

From the brink of a 3-1 deficit, Mark Daigneault's men have put together some of their best basketball of the season and now lead 3-2 following Tuesday's triumph in front of a roaring home support.

Like their Game Four victory, OKC showed great mettle in the final quarter to fend off any attempt of a Pacers fightback and put themselves in pole position for a first title since they were renamed from the Seattle SuperSonics.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the main driving force behind the Thunder's title charge, but the Western Conference champions majorly had Jalen Williams to thank for their most recent victory after he dropped a 40-piece on 14-25 shooting.

The Thunder will now seek to close things out at the earliest opportunity on Friday to avoid the added burden of playing a deciding seventh clash and will take confidence from the fact that the NBA grand finale has not reached a Game Seven since the Cleveland Cavaliers' incredible 4-3 triumph over the Golden State Warriors in 2016.

Indiana Pacers NBA Playoffs form:

Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Playoffs form:

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Team News

Jarace Walker is currently dealing with an ankle problem and remains out of contention for the Indiana Pacers alongside long-term absentee Isaiah Jackson.

However, Tony Bradley is back available for the home side after making his return to action from an injury that had kept him on the treatment table since the final week of May.

Fresh from becoming the first duo in Thunder history to both record 30+ points in the same NBA Finals game, Gilgeous-Alexander and fellow All-Star teammate Williams will be looking to deliver the goods once again.

Nikola Topic will continue to watch from the sidelines due to a damaged anterior cruciate ligament and will hope that his current employers are defending champions the next time he steps foot on the court.

Indiana Pacers possible starting lineup:

Haliburton, Nembhard; Nesmith, Siakam; Turner

Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting lineup:

Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort; Williams, Holmgren; Hartenstein 

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We say: Pacers to win by 5+ points

Some may argue that the Pacers have punched above their weight getting this far, but the team from Indiana will not go down without a whimper in Friday's must-win affair.

We are backing them to emerge victorious and live to fight another day.

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