Thunder on the Brink: Can Oklahoma City Close Out NBA Finals Series in Game 6?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the brink of history, with a 3-2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. However, the odds of the Thunder closing out the series with one more win are very low, currently sitting at -2500 at BetMGM. The Thunder dominated much of Game 5 on Monday night, but needed a strong closing kick to put the Pacers away after Indiana had cut the lead to two points in the fourth quarter. The Thunder opened the Finals with -700 odds to win the series and was one of the biggest Finals favorites in recent memory, but Indiana swiped Game 1 and took a 2-1 series lead with a convincing win in Game 3. Since then, the Thunder have won back-to-back games to hand Indiana its first consecutive losses since March, and now need to win either Thursday night in Indiana or on Monday night in Oklahoma City in a potential Game 7 to take their first title in franchise history. Meanwhile, Indiana is +1050 to win back-to-back games and get the title. The Pacers’ long odds are likely impacted by a right leg injury that Tyrese Haliburton suffered during Monday night’s Game 5. Haliburton appeared to tweak his calf when he fell to the floor while driving to the basket and was briefly taken to the locker room with his leg heavily wrapped. He was also ineffective on the floor, walking with a slight limp and not making a field goal. After their win Monday night, the Thunder have opened as 4.5-point favorites in Game 6 and -190 on the moneyline. If you think the Pacers can force a Game 7, Indiana has +155 odds to win the game. The race for Finals MVP also looks like a formality if the Thunder end up taking the series. NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is -600 to win Finals MVP through five games, with teammate Jalen Williams the No. 2 favorite at +625. Williams dropped 40 points in Game 5 as he and Gilgeous-Alexander combined for 71 of OKC’s 120 points. Pascal Siakam is the MVP favorite for the Pacers at +1500, with Haliburton at +4000.
