Following two straight victories, the Oklahoma City Thunder now find themselves on the brink of their first post-Seattle championship. The Thunder lead the Indiana Pacers 3-2 in their best-of-seven NBA Finals series.
Indiana, meanwhile, is in dire straights. The team's best player, two-time All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton, tweaked his ankle during the first half of an eventual 120-109 defeat to the Thunder, and was a shell of himself after that.
The 6-foot-5 Iowa State product scored a personal playoff-nadir of four points, on 0-of-6 shooting. He also chipped in seven boards and six dimes.
Oklahoma City is rounding into find form at exactly the right time. MVP point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and newly minted All-NBA forward Jalen Williams, in particular, have flexed their incredible two-way ability — especially across the past three contests. Rising star big man Chet Holmgren has also leveled up as the series has continued.
Defense-first guards Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso have been huge on both sides of the ball for the Thunder all series, while role players Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins have also chipped in effectively.
The action is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
On Wednesday, ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Jamal Collier, Chris Herring, Tim Bontemps and Zach Kram made a slew of predictions for this impending do-or-die Game 6 in Indiana.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton operates with the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort defends during Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 16, 2025.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton operates with the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort defends during Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 16, 2025.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Only one of ESPN's five expert panelists polled predicts that Indiana can even extend the series to a seventh game — and that arrives with a massive qualifier.
Zach Kram believes the Pacers can push Oklahoma City to the limit "if Haliburton is reasonably healthy following two off days; false, if he is as limited as he appeared in Game 5. That equivocal answer is probably cheating, but it's impossible to properly predict the Pacers this postseason."