Pacers avoid 2nd straight home-court playoff exit, routing Thunder to force Game 7
INDIANAPOLIS: The Indiana Pacers did not let another home-court opportunity slip away Thursday night. Not with a raucous crowd on its feet almost from start to finish, not with Reggie Miller and nearly a dozen former Pacers cheering them on and certainly not with the first NBA title in franchise just two wins away. So the Pacers dug down, fought through injuries and finally played their way. They knocked down 3-pointers, forced turnovers and had the heavily gold-clad crowd doing high-fives between the third and fourth quarters as Indiana extended its season with a 108-91 victory over the the Oklahoma City Thunder. The winner-take-all Game 7 is Sunday night in Oklahoma City This wasn’t just a win-or-go-home scenario for the Pacers. They’ve been motivated all season by the bitter memories of losing their last two home games by three points each in the 2024 Eastern Conference finals as the injured Tyrese Haliburton watched helplessly from the sideline.
