The NBA Finals roll on Thursday night, as the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder meet in Game 6 of their best-of-seven series. Both organizations are aiming for their first-ever world championship.
The Larry O’Brien Trophy will be in the building at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, as the Thunder hold a 3-2 series advantage, having pushed the Pacers to the brink of elimination in a thrilling Game 5 in Oklahoma City. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
As we take our last steps of the NBA season for either one or two more games, I thank you for your readership this season, and look forward to seeing you in the future. We arrive at the finish line, literally, on fumes, but let’s finish up strong with our best NBA Finals picks and bets for Thursday, June 19th.
Thursday’s Best NBA Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
Oklahoma City Thunder (-220) at Indiana Pacers (+184) | O/U 222.5 (-110/-110)
The Thunder head to Indianapolis looking for their first-ever NBA title, but the Pacers have been pesky and certainly won’t make it easy. The home team split 2-2 straight up (SU)/against the spread (ATS) in the first four games before Oklahoma City finally took a big step forward in Game 5 at the Paycom Center, winning 120-109 as a 9-point favorite as the over (222.5) cashed.
Oklahoma City’s cover was the first time a team has cashed and covered in consecutive games in this series, but all hope is not lost for Indiana. It is still very much alive, and it gets Game 6 on its home floor. It has the chance to force a decisive Game 7 in Oklahoma, and anything can happen in a Game 7, especially in an NBA Finals.
On Monday night, the Thunder received another big performance by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who continues to light up the scoreboard. While he wasn’t efficient from the field, going 9-of-21, including 0-for-3 from downtown, he was 13-of-14 from the free-throw line. He also added 10 assists with four blocked shots and two steals, finishing with 31 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t the high man for the Thunder, though. Jalen Williams stepped up with 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting, including 3-of-5 from long distance. He also added six rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Indiana shot better in Game 5 than Oklahoma City, hitting 45.1%, to just 42.6% for the home side. Indiana was also +5 in the rebounding department, while free-throw shooting was relatively even. The difference was sloppy play, as Indiana turned it over 23 times, compared to just 11 times for the Thunder. Oklahoma City converted those turnovers into 32 points, while the Pacers managed to score just nine points off miscues.
For Thursday night, there is a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for the Indianapolis area until midnight local time. Oklahoma City is likely to hoist its first championship. However, look for the Pacers to go out with a fight, covering the six points.
In addition, we’ll go low on the total. These teams are both in uncharted territory, and the nerves are likely to be through the roof. We’ll simply back the Pacers plus the points and bet on the under.
As for NBA player props, let’s keep it simple. Myles Turner is averaging 4.6 rebounds per game in this series, while going for four or more boards in three of the past five games. Chet Holmgren has snagged at least six boards in all five games of this series, but he has 10+ rebounds in each of the previous three outings.
Picks: Pacers +6 (-114) & Under 222.5 Points (-110)
Props: Chet Holmgren 8+ Rebounds (-295) & Myles Turner 4+ Rebounds (-350)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:
