Betting the NBA Finals: Bets to make on Game 6 - ESPN

Game 6 of the NBA Finals tips off Thursday night, with the Oklahoma City Thunder just one game away from their first championship since moving to the Sooner State. The Thunder won Game 5 120-109 over the Indiana Pacers, thanks to 40 points from Jalen Williams to take that 3-2 lead.

The series heads back to Indianapolis, where these teams split Games 3 and 4. The Pacers are not only trying to stave off elimination but evaluating star Tyrese Haliburton, who is dealing with a calf strain.

Here are our analysts' bets that stand out.

Odds are as of publication time. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET

Andrew Nembhard over 15.5 total points and assists (-110). This pick leans into the news that Tyrese Haliburton is battling a calf strain that limited him in Game 5, and the likelihood that the other Pacers perimeter players will need to step up and help carry the offense-creation load in Game 6. Nembhard is the second point guard in the starting lineup, and the one with the best playoffs track record of stepping up when tapped. Even playing next to a healthy Haliburton, Nembhard topped 15.5 P+A in six of his first seven playoffs games this season and in 10 games overall this postseason, including Game 1 of the Finals. But it was last season's Eastern Conference Finals, when Haliburton was battling injury, when Nembhard stepped up the most. In that series he averaged 21.0 PPG and 7.8 APG overall, and those numbers increased to 28.0 PPG and 9.5 APG in the two home games he played in the series. So the upside is there for Nembhard to put big numbers on the board if the Pacers ask it of him on Thursday. -Snellings

Alex Caruso over 9.5 points (-125). The Thunder role players tend to show up on the road. With the Pacers'