The Oklahoma City Thunder won yet another home game this postseason on Monday night, beating the Indiana Pacers 120-109 in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals and covering as 9.5-point favorites. The game went over the total for the second time this series.

The Thunder opened as 4.5-point road favorites in Indianapolis tonight, but the line shifted to -6.5 at BetMGM after news that Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has a strained right calf and will be listed as a game-time decision. The total also dropped a point to 223.5 to 222.5 off the news, and went down to 221.5 — before coming back up to 222.5 at the time of publication.

The public is backing Oklahoma City to cover, with 58% of the bets and 61% of the total dollars wagered on Thunder -5.5 at BetMGM sportsbooks.

Yahoo Sports asked handicapper Jon Metler for his thoughts on Game 6 of the Finals and a best bet:

Game 6: Oklahoma City Thunder (-5.5, 222.5) at Indiana Pacers

Metler: “It’s an opportunity to win the NBA Finals on the road. If you’re not leaning on the league MVP more than ever, I’ll be stunned. Also, you don’t think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants to put any Jalen Williams Finals MVP talk to bed in a potential closeout game?

“The Pacers’ defensive strategy of focusing all their energy on SGA and allowing free lanes to the basket for Williams is a losing one. With more attention likely going toward J-Dub after his 40-piece in Game 5, I think this just opens up the floor even more for SGA.

“The Haliburton injury also looms large in Game 6. I wouldn’t be surprised if, should Haliburton be out or limited, Andrew Nembhard ends up guarding SGA for fewer minutes because they’ll need Nembhard more on the offensive end. The Pacers will also most likely lean into a smaller, more offensive lineup without Haliburton, which will only make the defense easier for SGA to exploit.

“You only have a small edge on this prop, but I believe it should be trading at -115 instead of +110.”

Best bet: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 35+ points (+110)

Metler: “Haliburton’s status for Game 6 is still up in the air, but I think we can safely conclude that, even if he does play, his offensive game will be extremely limited. Being limited against the elite perimeter defenders of the Thunder isn’t a recipe for success, and the Pacers will no doubt have to lean on someone else to run the offense.

“TJ McConnell initially jumps out as that guy, but he’s someone who plays 15-20 minutes per night regardless of Haliburton’s availability — that’s just his role. I think the usage will actually shift toward Nembhard, who has proven to be calm and collected handling the ball under the pressure of the Thunder’s defense.

“Nembhard has primarily been used as a defensive stopper against SGA in this series, but with Haliburton dealing with a calf injury, I believe his role could dramatically shift in Game 6. Both of these totals are alternate overs for Nembhard, and I think this is the best way to attack the scenario — with a low-risk, high-reward SGP versus a full-unit straight bet — because we truly don’t know Haliburton’s status. If Haliburton is ruled out, this SGP won’t be trading anywhere near +700 at game time.”

Best bet: Andrew Nembhard 15+ points and 6+ assists (+704)

The Oklahoma City Thunder won yet another home game this postseason on Monday night, beating the Indiana Pacers 120-109 in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals and covering as 9.5-point favorites. The game went over the total for the second time this series.

The Thunder opened as 4.5-point road favorites in Indianapolis tonight, but the line shifted to -6.5 at BetMGM after news that Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has a strained right calf and will be listed as a game-time decision. The total also dropped a point to 223.5 to 222.5 off the news, and went down to 221.5 — before coming back up to 222.5 at the time of publication.

The public is backing Oklahoma City to cover, with 58% of the bets and 61% of the total dollars wagered on Thunder -5.5 at BetMGM sportsbooks.

Yahoo Sports asked handicapper Jon Metler for his thoughts on Game 6 of the Finals and a best bet:

Game 6: Oklahoma City Thunder (-5.5, 222.5) at Indiana Pacers

Metler: “It’s an opportunity to win the NBA Finals on the road. If you’re not leaning on the league MVP more than ever, I’ll be stunned. Also, you don’t think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants to put any Jalen Williams Finals MVP talk to bed in a potential closeout game?

“The Pacers’ defensive strategy of focusing all their energy on SGA and allowing free lanes to the basket for Williams is a losing one. With more attention likely going toward J-Dub after his 40-piece in Game 5, I think this just opens up the floor even more for SGA.

“The Haliburton injury also looms large in Game 6. I wouldn’t be surprised if, should Haliburton be out or limited, Andrew Nembhard ends up guarding SGA for fewer minutes because they’ll need Nembhard more on the offensive end. The Pacers will also most likely lean into a smaller, more offensive lineup without Haliburton, which will only make the defense easier for SGA to exploit.

“You only have a small edge on this prop, but I believe it should be trading at -115 instead of +110.”

Best bet: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 35+ points (+110)

Metler: “Haliburton’s status for Game 6 is still up in the air, but I think we can safely conclude that, even if he does play, his offensive game will be extremely limited. Being limited against the elite perimeter defenders of the Thunder isn’t a recipe for success, and the Pacers will no doubt have to lean on someone else to run the offense.

“TJ McConnell initially jumps out as that guy, but he’s someone who plays 15-20 minutes per night regardless of Haliburton’s availability — that’s just his role. I think the usage will actually shift toward Nembhard, who has proven to be calm and collected handling the ball under the pressure of the Thunder’s defense.

“Nembhard has primarily been used as a defensive stopper against SGA in this series, but with Haliburton dealing with a calf injury, I believe his role could dramatically shift in Game 6. Both of these totals are alternate overs for Nembhard, and I think this is the best way to attack the scenario — with a low-risk, high-reward SGP versus a full-unit straight bet — because we truly don’t know Haliburton’s status. If Haliburton is ruled out, this SGP won’t be trading anywhere near +700 at game time.”

Best bet: Andrew Nembhard 15+ points and 6+ assists (+704)

Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton will play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton, a game-time decision entering Thursday, won’t be on a minutes restriction in the win-or-go-home showdown with the Thunder, who currently lead the series 3-2.

Haliburton suffered a right calf strain during the team’s 120-109 loss in Game 5 on Monday.

He finished with just four points after shooting 0-for-6 from the field in what was the worst game of his otherwise memorable, and mostly clutch, playoff run.

Haliburton wore a gray sock/compression sleeve on his lower right leg while getting shots up Thursday evening, just a few hours before the 8:30 p.m tipoff.

Carlisle told reporters Thursday evening that Haliburton was strength tested at 5 p.m. and did well.

“He’s going to play,” Carlisle told NBA TV. “He’s obviously going to start. And we’ll monitor his situation very closely and very carefully. We don’t know the exact number of minutes. There’s not been a minutes limit that’s been put forth by our medical people.”

Carlisle added: “Look, we’re in the Finals. It’s national TV. There’s long timeouts. So we’ll start the game and see where we are as we go along.”

Haliburton played through the injury in Game 5 and made it clear postgame that he’d turn over every stone to be on the court in Indianapolis Thursday night, with the Pacers’ season and NBA championship hopes on the line.

“If I can walk, then I want to play,” the two-time NBA All-Star told reporters at the time.

Haliburton doubled down on that statement Wednesday. 

“I have to understand the risks, ask the right questions. But I’m a competitor,” he said. “I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play.”

Haliburton has averaged 17.9 points, 9.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the playoffs this season. His impact, however, is even greater than his numbers suggest.

In addition to orchestrating the Pacers’ run-and-gun offense, he’s hit an array of jaw-dropping shots this postseason, including a game-winner to start the NBA Finals. 

Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton will play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton, a game-time decision entering Thursday, won’t be on a minutes restriction in the win-or-go-home showdown with the Thunder, who currently lead the series 3-2.

Haliburton suffered a right calf strain during the team’s 120-109 loss in Game 5 on Monday.

He finished with just four points after shooting 0-for-6 from the field in what was the worst game of his otherwise memorable, and mostly clutch, playoff run.

Haliburton wore a gray sock/compression sleeve on his lower right leg while getting shots up Thursday evening, just a few hours before the 8:30 p.m tipoff.

Carlisle told reporters Thursday evening that Haliburton was strength tested at 5 p.m. and did well.

“He’s going to play,” Carlisle told NBA TV. “He’s obviously going to start. And we’ll monitor his situation very closely and very carefully. We don’t know the exact number of minutes. There’s not been a minutes limit that’s been put forth by our medical people.”

Carlisle added: “Look, we’re in the Finals. It’s national TV. There’s long timeouts. So we’ll start the game and see where we are as we go along.”

Haliburton played through the injury in Game 5 and made it clear postgame that he’d turn over every stone to be on the court in Indianapolis Thursday night, with the Pacers’ season and NBA championship hopes on the line.

“If I can walk, then I want to play,” the two-time NBA All-Star told reporters at the time.

Haliburton doubled down on that statement Wednesday. 

“I have to understand the risks, ask the right questions. But I’m a competitor,” he said. “I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play.”

Haliburton has averaged 17.9 points, 9.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the playoffs this season. His impact, however, is even greater than his numbers suggest.

In addition to orchestrating the Pacers’ run-and-gun offense, he’s hit an array of jaw-dropping shots this postseason, including a game-winner to start the NBA Finals. 

The Houston Rockets like what they’ve seen from head coach Ime Udoka. Following the team’s excellent 2024-25 season, the Rockets reportedly signed Udoka to a long-term extension that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. 

Udoka, 47, was hired by the Rockets in 2023. During his season with the team, Udoka saw the Rockets improve by 19 games. After going 21-60 during the 2022-23 NBA season, the Rockets finished .500. The team didn’t make the playoffs, but it was an impressive turnaround.

Things got even better this season. The Rockets improved yet again, winning 52 games and making the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. Despite securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Rockets were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in seven games during the first round of the playoffs.

Following that elimination, Udoka’s name emerged as a possible candidate to replace Tom Thibodeau after his surprising firing by the New York Knicks. The Knicks reportedly asked the Rockets for permission to speak with Udoka about the opening, but were denied. 

Prior to joining the Rockets, Udoka served as the Boston Celtics’ head coach for one season. He led the team to the NBA Finals that year, but was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for violating the team’s code of conduct. The suspension came after Udoka reportedly engaged in an improper, consensual relationship with a team staffer. 

Weeks after that suspension, Udoka was nearly hired as the Brooklyn Nets’ head coach, but the team pivoted at the last minute. Joe Mazulla replaced Udoka in Boston and was eventually hired as the Celtics’ full-time head coach.

After sitting out the 2022-23 NBA season, Udoka was hired by the Rockets after the team fired Stephen Silas. Now inked to a long-term deal, Udoka will focus on trying to lead the Rockets to the team’s first NBA championship since the 1994-95 season.

The Houston Rockets like what they’ve seen from head coach Ime Udoka. Following the team’s excellent 2024-25 season, the Rockets reportedly signed Udoka to a long-term extension that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. 

Udoka, 47, was hired by the Rockets in 2023. During his season with the team, Udoka saw the Rockets improve by 19 games. After going 21-60 during the 2022-23 NBA season, the Rockets finished .500. The team didn’t make the playoffs, but it was an impressive turnaround.

Things got even better this season. The Rockets improved yet again, winning 52 games and making the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. Despite securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Rockets were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in seven games during the first round of the playoffs.

Following that elimination, Udoka’s name emerged as a possible candidate to replace Tom Thibodeau after his surprising firing by the New York Knicks. The Knicks reportedly asked the Rockets for permission to speak with Udoka about the opening, but were denied. 

Prior to joining the Rockets, Udoka served as the Boston Celtics’ head coach for one season. He led the team to the NBA Finals that year, but was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for violating the team’s code of conduct. The suspension came after Udoka reportedly engaged in an improper, consensual relationship with a team staffer. 

Weeks after that suspension, Udoka was nearly hired as the Brooklyn Nets’ head coach, but the team pivoted at the last minute. Joe Mazulla replaced Udoka in Boston and was eventually hired as the Celtics’ full-time head coach.

After sitting out the 2022-23 NBA season, Udoka was hired by the Rockets after the team fired Stephen Silas. Now inked to a long-term deal, Udoka will focus on trying to lead the Rockets to the team’s first NBA championship since the 1994-95 season.

Come Friday morning, the eyes of the NBA-watching world will be trained on Oklahoma City. The only question: Will we be watching for details on a parade route … or getting ready for a winner-take-all, Larry O’B-on-the-line Game 7?

Here are three big things to keep an eye on as the Thunder and Pacers work to hash that out in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday night:

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How will the Pacers score with a limited Tyrese Haliburton?

Haliburton didn’t look at all like himself in Game 5, laboring as he moved around the court from the middle of the first quarter onward and finishing without a field goal for the first time since February. Subsequent testing revealed why: Haliburton suffered a right calf strain that Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Indiana’s star point guard will try to play through for Thursday’s do-or-die Game 6.

“I think I have to be as smart as I want to be,” Haliburton said during his news conference at the Pacers’ practice session on Wednesday. “Have to understand the risks, ask the right questions. I’m a competitor; I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play. That’s just what it is.”

Amid the uncertainty surrounding Haliburton’s status, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the challenge facing his team is to maintain the same level of preparation and discipline regardless of whether the 2025 postseason’s assist leader laces ’em up.

“Haliburton is a great player. One thing we know is, you don’t underestimate great players,” Daigneault said Wednesday. “So, in the case that he plays, we’re expecting his best punch. Indiana is a great team. We don’t underestimate great teams. In either case, whether he plays or not, we’re expecting Indiana’s best punch, especially at home.”

At issue, though, is just how much oomph will be behind the Pacers’ best punch if Haliburton’s as limited as he was in Game 5, and what angle it’ll come from if he’s unavailable to throw it.

Haliburton is the engine of Indiana’s fast-paced, high-octane, pass-heavy, turnover-light attack. The Pacers turn the ball over more frequently and generate 3-pointers way less frequently when Haliburton’s not at the controls. They don’t get out in transition as often, and they don’t score as efficiently when they do — particularly off of defensive rebounds, where Haliburton’s penchant for throwing hit-ahead passes helps send Indiana flying into early offense against scrambled defenses.

The pain of his absence has been particularly acute in the playoffs. Throughout the postseason, the Pacers have scored 14 more points per 100 possessions with him on the court than when he’s off it. Against Oklahoma City in the Finals, Indiana has scored just 102.3 points-per-100 in the 60 minutes he’s been on the bench — a level of fecklessness that would rank several fathoms below the Washington Wizards’ league-worst full-season offensive rating.

If Haliburton is ineffective, the Pacers will need someone else to bend the defense to help create clean looks for others. They’ll need a monster game from Pascal Siakam, their leading scorer in this series, whose ability to generate switches and punish cross-matches against smaller Oklahoma City defenders has often been Indiana’s best source of offense in this series. They’ll need Andrew Nembhard to look less like the rattled auxiliary ball-handler he was in the second half of Game 5 and more like the confident creator he was in Games 3 and 4 against the Celtics in the 2024 Eastern Conference finals, when Haliburton was sidelined by a hamstring injury and Nembhard responded by averaging 28 points and 9.5 assists on 56/54/100 shooting splits.

“The experience in the playoffs last year, where he had to play the point, that was terrific for him,” Carlisle said before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks. “He’s a guy that loves to compete, loves to learn. He wants to get better and better.”

They’ll need another game-tilting performance from the second unit of T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin. They’ll need Myles Turner to shake off the shooting slump that’s seen him miss 17 of his 22 3-point tries in the Finals. They’ll need, as Carlisle put it between Games 3 and 4, “nothing less than everything we possibly have — together.”

“I think the way we play, I think it’s never been about one person,” Siakam said Wednesday. “I don’t really look at it that way. I think obviously Tyrese is a big part of what we do. Whether he plays or not, I think it’s going to be a team thing. We have to, together, all step up. … I don’t think any one of us should feel like one person is going to have to do it. It’s going to be collective.”

And it’s going to have to start on the defensive end.

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Can Indiana get OKC’s offense back in check?

Through the first three games of the Finals, the Thunder were averaging 114 points-per-100 — 7.1 points-per-100 below their regular-season mark, and 3.8 points-per-100 below what they’d put up through the first three rounds of the postseason. Indiana had made life difficult on MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — first by cutting off his teammates and forcing him to do everything himself, and then by ramping up its full-court pressure to pipe-bursting levels — and neither Jalen Williams nor Chet Holmgren could consistently make shots. The Pacers weren’t lighting up the scoreboard themselves, but keeping Oklahoma City out of sorts kept them in position to pull off the upset.

And then, in the fourth quarter of Game 4, the Thunder got, um, back in sorts.

Oklahoma City has scored 151 points in 119 possessions over the last five quarters of this series, according to PBPStats — a scorching 127 offensive rating. Daigneault’s decision to accept the Pacers’ pressure, move Gilgeous-Alexander off the ball and toss the keys to Williams has led to sustained offensive success for the Thunder, with SGA dominating the closing minutes of Game 4 and Williams delivering a 40-point star turn in Game 5.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams coming through with tough buckets is bad enough for Indiana. When the Thunder can generate easy ones, though — on the offensive glass, where Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein have led the charge to OKC grabbing 37.1% of its misses in Games 4 and 5, and through its defense, generating 57 points off of Pacer turnovers over the past two games — they’re damn near impossible to beat.

“The two things right now that are really bothersome and challenging for us [are] the rebounding, the second-shot rebounds, and the turnovers,” Carlisle said Wednesday. “We’re going to do our best to address those things.”

If the Pacers can protect the ball and hold OKC to one shot, they’ll give themselves a chance to extend the series. If they can’t, they’ll end Thursday watching the Thunder celebrate on their home court.

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Can the Pacers make OKC ease off the gas at all?

The last time Indiana faced a Game 6 trailing 3-2 in a series, it was in 2024’s second round, against the Knicks. They drilled New York at home, then went on the road and produced one of the greatest shooting displays in the history of the NBA postseason to win Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

“We’ve been in this position before. … What we need to do is buckle down, stand strong,” Carlisle said Wednesday. “I anticipate one of the best crowds in the history of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. We got to find a way.”

The last time Oklahoma City faced a Game 6 leading 3-2 in the series, it was two rounds ago, against the Nuggets. Denver dominated the second half, outscoring the Thunder 46-31 over the final 18 minutes to make SGA and Co. sweat, forcing a Game 7 back at Paycom Center.

All Finals long, reporters and Thunder players have noted the similarities between this series and that one: OKC controlling Game 1 before losing on a buzzer-beater, responding with a Game 2 blowout, dropping Game 3 on the road to fall down 2-1, riding defense and Gilgeous-Alexander’s playmaking to regain control and get to within arm’s reach of victory. The Thunder enter Thursday hoping the similarities end there; they’d much rather close out in Indianapolis than face a winner-take-all finale, and show that they’ve learned the most valuable lesson the postseason has to take.

“The cusp of winning is not winning,” Gilgeous-Alexander said Wednesday. “The way I see it, winning is all that matters.”