The NBA Finals will travel to Indiana tonight, with the series between the Pacers and Thunder split at 1-1. Oklahoma City has been dominant thus far, holding the lead for over 92 of the 96 game minutes played to this point.
But Indiana brings the series back home with the games split and should feel great about this outcome. Tonight will be a telling matchup between the two champion hopefuls, with teams that win Game 3 of a 1-1 series going on to win the NBA Finals 80.5% of the time across the past 41 series.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the action this evening. One of the unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Basketball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays on Wednesday, June 11th. You simply choose whether each statistic will be more or less than the set number. With the stage set, here are my favorite picks for the Game 3 matchup between the Thunder and Pacers.
Pascal Siakam More Than 19.5 Points
The Indiana Pacers took a swing last season, trading for Pascal Siakam to accelerate their win-now intentions. They have two Conference Finals appearances and the organization’s first Finals appearance since 1999-2000 as a result. Siakam averaged 20.2 points per game across the regular season and is averaging 20.6 points per game across the playoffs. He has tallied more than 19.5 points in five of the past 10 games and has scored as many as 39 in a game during this playoff run. The former NBA champion scored 30+ points in three of the six games in the Knicks series.
Oklahoma City has an excellent defense that has made life difficult across the board. But they are at their strongest on the perimeter, and this has been more bothersome to Tyrese Haliburton. Players like Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, and Cason Wallace are each taking turns hounding the All-Star guard, and he has been limited to 31 total points through the opening two games. It took a strong fourth quarter effort in Game 2 with the game already in hand for the numbers to even look this respectable.
While the Thunder are no slouches on the interior either, expect them to be more comfortable attacking through Siakam. Oklahoma City has experimented with its lineup combinations and has been more willing to go small in this series. Count on Siakam to hunt these small-ball lineups whenever the opportunity presents itself, and for the Pacers to have more success getting out in transition across the board. Siakam has been limited to scoring outputs of 15 and 19 thus far in the series. He also attempted just 11 field goal attempts in Game 1, which was his fourth-fewest shot opportunities in this playoff run. The Pacers must approach tonight with desperation and look for Siakam to set the tone by leading the offensive charge and tallying more than 19.5 points as he becomes a more focal part of the offense.
Jalen Williams Less Than 21.5 Points
It has been an ugly start to the NBA Finals for Jalen Williams. The first-time All-Star has been limited to scoring outputs of 19 and 17 while shooting 11-for-34 from the field. Williams has shot under 42% from the field since the start of the second round of the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has answered all questions about being capable of being the best player on a championship team. But perhaps the more legitimate question was if Williams and Chet Holmgren are ready to serve as the true co-stars, and it has been a mixed bag of results, at best, thus far in the Finals.
While the shot volume will continue to be there for Williams, they have not been clean looks. Indiana continues to operate with the game plan of being willing to live with Gilgeous-Alexander getting to his spots for tough contested jumpers in preference of allowing him to collapse the defense and kick to open shooters. Williams is still getting his shots, but has had to work for them.
Expect tonight’s game to involve the same game plan and for Indiana to bring their best effort across the board. 21.5 is a high bar to reach, and Williams has been held to less than this number in 11 of the 18 postseason games thus far. There will be a rowdy Pacers fanbase tonight, and count on Williams being held to less than 21.5 points for the third straight game in this series.
Tyrese Haliburton More Than 2.5 Made Three-Pointers
While there is no way around acknowledging the tough defense he is set to face, the Pacers will still only go as far as Tyrese Haliburton will take them. The two-time All-NBA guard is averaging 18.4 points, 9.3 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game across the playoffs. He is attempting 7.2 three-point attempts per game and connecting at a 33.3% rate. This comes after a regular season in which he averaged 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game while attempting 7.7 long-range shots per game and shot 38.8% from beyond the arc.
One adjustment the Pacers have made to combat the Thunder’s impressive perimeter defense is to play him more off-ball. Getting Haliburton the ball when coming off a screen gives him a bit more freedom and an additional inch of breathing room. While his unique shot form makes the Pacers’ star less of a catch-and-shoot threat, he has gotten up 15 total three-point attempts thus far. Haliburton shot 2-for-7 on three-pointers in Game 1 and 3-for-8 in the second matchup.
Across the regular season, Haliburton shot the ball much better at home. He connected on 41.5% of his three-point attempts at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in comparison to 36.0% during road games. Life has only gotten more difficult when Haliburton attempts to attack the basket in this series, and expect him to be comfortable launching from deep. He has tallied more than 2.5 made three-pointers in seven postseason games thus far, and look for him to reach this total for the second straight game in the series.
Isaiah Hartenstein More Than 7.5 Rebounds
Many were critical of Oklahoma City’s decision to change their starting lineup ahead of Game 1 of this series by sending Isaiah Hartenstein to the bench after he made the first 16 starts of this playoff run. The Thunder have had some great success with their double big lineup with both Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren on the floor. But they did not shift from this mindset in Game 2, with the belief that Cason Wallace provides a cleaner matchup against this up-tempo Pacers team.
Even while coming off the bench, Hartenstein’s impact as a rebounder has been clear. He pulled in eight rebounds in Game 1 and nine in the second matchup, while his minutes have been scaled back. Hartenstein averaged 10.7 rebounds per game across the regular season and is averaging 7.9 per game across the playoffs. He has tallied more than 7.5 rebounds in 10 of the 18 playoff games overall.
Rebounding is a weakness for this Pacers team. They ranked 28th in rebounds per game during the regular season and 12th among the 16 teams across this playoff run. Hartenstein will be the best rebounder on the floor whenever he is in the game and knows how to make his impact felt at the greatest rate. Expect the big man to continue imposing himself and have success when battling Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam. Count on him to record more than 7.5 rebounds for the third straight game and for the potential to go way above this if he sees more minutes as both teams make adjustments.
Bennedict Mathurin More Than 8.5 Points
The Indiana Pacers have a deep rotation with several different players capable of stepping up on any given night. Bennedict Mathurin is firmly in this conversation and saw his minutes increase from 15:53 in Game 1 to 21:53 in the previous matchup. Expect this to be a sign of things to come with Mathurin possessing a level of size and athleticism that fares better against this Thunder team. The Arizona product finished with 14 points in the previous game and has tallied more than 8.5 points in nine of the 17 postseason games overall.
Across the regular season, Mathurin averaged 16.1 points per game and tallied more than 8.5 points in 57 of the 72 games he played. His scoring output has slipped to 10.3 points per game in the postseason, with his level of opportunity going up and down. The 22-year-old also tallied 20+ points during Games 4 and 5 in the Knicks series.
The Pacers need someone to step up from their bench unit and look for Mathurin to make the most of his opportunity tonight. He also played much better at home this season, averaging 16.9 points per game in the regular season in comparison to 15.3 points per game on the road. With the home crowd behind him and on the heels of a large opportunity in Game 2, count on Mathurin making the most of his chances and providing a necessary scoring punch off the bench. Count on him recording more than 8.5 points again tonight.
T.J. McConnell More Than 10.5 Points & Assists
Speaking of X-factors on this Pacers team, T.J. McConnell must be brought into the conversation. The 33-year-old provides a spark off the bench and has a unique ability to play at his own pace, regardless of who the opponent is. McConnell finished with nine points and four assists in the Game 1 victory, including a key stretch where he ran the offense to help narrow the deficit. He followed this up with 11 points and six assists in Game 2.
Across the regular season, McConnell averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 assists per game. He is averaging 8.6 points and 4.1 assists per night in the postseason and has tallied more than 10.5 combined points and assists in 11 of the 18 playoff matchups. As these teams make adjustments, don’t be shocked if the decision to play Haliburton more off-ball could lead to more minutes on the floor for McConnell. He typically does not see a ton of minutes, averaging 16.4 per game in the postseason, but the impact of them is clear.
Heading into Game 3, expect McConnell to continue to provide a spark off the bench and for the fan-favorite to give the Indiana faithful what they want to see. He will be picking up full court on the defensive end and can always create some easy points through a turnover in the backcourt. The Pacers will trust him to run the offense for stretches and count on McConnell to continue getting to his spots in the short and mid-range while playmaking for others. The Pacers will need energy, and McConnell is the number one guy to supply it. Count on him recording more than 10.5 combined points and assists for the third straight game in this series.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you cannot pick the same player twice and you must select players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
