The Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from being crowned NBA Champions. They hold a 3-2 series lead with the matchup returning to Indiana as the Pacers will desperately fight to push it to a Game 7. To make matters worse, the status of Tyrese Haliburton appears up in the air with the Pacers star aggravating a right calf strain in Game 5.
Not having their franchise star would be a huge hit for this Pacers team, and head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters are planning on preparing to be without him. Haliburton will surely give it a go if he is physically capable. But there is little margin for error against this Thunder team in general, and Haliburton being out or limited is a huge disadvantage. The Pacers have been an extremely resilient squad throughout this entire season and playoff run, but will need to call on this in the Game 6 matchup.
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 Thursday, June 19th. 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 6 matchup between the Thunder and Pacers.
T.J. McConnell More Than 15.5 Points & Rebounds
At the top of the list of players most impacted by Tyrese Haliburton’s injury status sits T.J. McConnell. The 33-year-old exploded for 13 points in the third quarter of Game 5, desperately doing everything in his power to keep the Pacers within striking distance in the matchup. He finished with 18 points and four assists in the losing effort and has consistently made his impact felt throughout the series. Across the series overall, McConnell is averaging 11.2 points and 4.2 assists per game.
Across the playoffs overall, McConnell is averaging 9.0 points and 4.0 assists per contest. He has scored 10+ points in 21 of the 21 games, including seven of the 10 games played at home. McConnell is averaging 9.9 points at home and 8.3 on the road throughout this playoff run. While Haliburton will surely give it a go if he is physically capable, the concern that he may miss feels legitimate from Indiana’s perspective. Even if he can play, the calf problem could cause some issues for a player whose game is so dependent on attacking and creating for others and utilizing his stop-and-start ability to create separation.
Expect McConnell to be looked at as the solution to these problems, and see an increase in minutes and on-ball opportunities. The 21:58 of game time he played in Game 5 marked the second-most minutes he has logged in this playoff run and the most impactful he has been to this point. The Arizona product is incredibly effective at getting to his spots in the short mid-range and is fearless every time he attacks the basket. With Haliburton set to be bothered by his calf issue, count on McConnell being responsible for pushing the pace and running the offense. He has been a consistent point of production across this playoff run and will be fully unleashed with the season on the line. Count on McConnell recording more than 15.5 combined points and assists with the home crowd behind him in the do-or-die matchup.
Shai Gigleous-Alexander More Than 33.5 Points
Depth is a strength of this Oklahoma City Thunder team, but it must be acknowledged that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is at the epicenter of their production. The reigning MVP is looking to become the first scoring champion to win the NBA Finals since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to win the NBA championship in the same season. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged an NBA-best 32.7 points per game in the regular season.
Since the playoffs have started, the Thunder star is averaging 30.4 points per game while adding 6.5 assists and 5.4 rebounds. He is averaging 32.4 points per game across the Finals and has tallied more than 33.5 points in three of the five games. This comes while he has not needed to lead the production throughout, with Jalen Williams scoring 40 in the previous game and Alex Caruso having dropped 20 points in a pair of games.
But heading into this closeout battle, expect Gilgeous-Alexander to lead the attack for the Thunder. He showed why he is the most valuable player in the fourth quarter of Game 4, tallying 15 points in the final period as the team outscored the Pacers 31-17 to get the come-from-behind win. While the potential loss of Haliburton changes the outlook to an extent, the Pacers have not rolled over and quit under any circumstances in this postseason run. Expect a spirited effort with Indiana’s season on the line, and Gilgeous-Alexander to be the calming influence on the Thunder attack. The superstar has proven to be ready for the largest moments and count on him to tally more than 33.5 points for the fourth time in this series with the championship on the line.
Pascal Siakam More Than 6.5 Rebounds
The rebounding battle was a point of concern coming into the series, but it has not proven to be as large of an issue as many expected. Oklahoma City was a strong rebounding team this season, but has mostly abandoned its double-big lineup in this series. While the team had great success with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein sharing the floor throughout the regular season and at the start of the playoffs, they have preferred to go small to match this Pacers team. Despite Indiana being vulnerable on the boards all season, they have held their own in the rebounding battle, including outrebounding the Thunder 56-39 in their Game 1 win.
Pascal Siakam has been a huge part of this effort and is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game across the NBA Finals. This is above the 6.9 rebounds he averaged during the regular season and 6.1 in the playoffs overall. Indiana depends on a team-oriented attack on the glass, and Haliburton’s availability will have an impact on this as well. While this is not the most impactful part of the guard’s game, he has added 6.2 rebounds per game across this series. Expect Siakam to capitalize on these available rebounds if Haliburton is missing or limited.
The Thunder have made it clear they prefer leaning on their small-ball lineups to match up in this series. Myles Turner has not asserted himself and has been limited to 4.6 rebounds per game in this series, while Siakam has been able to maximize on the small-ball Thunder lineup at a greater rate. The 7.4 rebounds per game he is producing in this series is more than the 5.0 rebounds per game he averaged against the Knicks, the 6.4 he averaged against the Cavaliers, and the 6.0 rebounds he averaged against the Bucks. Count on Siakam playing with the necessary level of desperation and do everything possible to create additional possessions for this Pacers team. Expect him to pull in more than 6.5 rebounds for the fourth time in this series and see a clear path to leading the team in rebounding.
Chet Holmgren More Than 8.5 Rebounds
With Isaiah Hartenstein seeing his level of opportunity limited, it has been Chet Holmgren who has stepped up as the primary rebounding option for the Thunder. Across the regular season, Hartenstein led the team with 10.7 rebounds per game while Holmgren averaged 8.0 rebounds per contest. In the playoffs, Holmgren has grown into the statistical leader by pulling in 8.8 rebounds per game while Hartenstein has been limited to 7.6. Looking just across the NBA Finals, Holmgren is averaging 9.6 rebounds and playing 31.6 minutes per game, while Hartenstein is pulling in 6.8 rebounds in his 19.8 minutes per game.
Don’t expect the Thunder to stray from their blueprint at this stage of the series, and count on Holmgren to supply the majority of the interior production in Game 6. He has tallied rebounding outputs of 10, 15, and 11 across the past three games and should be expected to produce at this same level. Myles Turner has largely struggled in this series, and Holmgren will have the inside track for dominating on the boards on both sides of the ball. He tallied more than 8.5 rebounds in 14 of the 32 regular-season games and 10 of the 21 postseason games.
Heading into the potential closeout matchup, count on Holmgren continuing his impressive stretch of rebounding output and pulling in more than 8.5 rebounds for the fourth straight game. Indiana has struggled to slow down his monstrous 7-foot-1 frame and 7-foot-6 wingspan that he possesses. Expect the Gonzaga product to continue asserting himself and reach double-figures in rebounds for the fourth straight game.
Aaron Nesmith More Than 2.5 Made Three-Pointers
Aaron Nesmith has been an X-Factor for this Pacers team, who can scale up his game depending on what the game calls for. Some nights he makes his largest impact felt as a three-point shooter, sometimes it is on the defensive end, and sometimes it is doing the little things like contributing as a high-level rebounder. Looking at the Game 6 matchup, expect Nesmith to make up for some of the offensive slack that will be left by Haliburton.
So far in the playoffs, Nesmith is averaging 13.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and is shooting 50.4% from beyond the three-point arc on 5.4 perimeter shots per game. This comes after a regular season in which he averaged 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while connecting on 43.1% of his 4.3 three-point attempts per game. Looking at just the NBA Finals, Nesmith is averaging 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. He has shot 14-for-27 (51.4%) from beyond the three-point arc thus far in the series.
The Vanderbilt product can catch fire as well as any shooter in the league and will be called on to do just this with the Pacers’ season on the line. He has attempted five or more three-pointers in four of the five games and connected with more than 2.5 perimeter shots in three games thus far. Expect a conscious effort to generate looks for Nesmith as a source of offense, and for the sniper to capitalize on these shot opportunities. It does not take much space for him to get a shot off and count on Nesmith connecting with more than 2.5 made three-pointers for the fourth time in this NBA Finals.
Alex Caruso More Than 9.5 Points
There has been plenty of attention paid to the impact made by Isaiah Hartenstein after the Oklahoma City Thunder brought him in on a notable contract this past offseason and shifted into true championship contenders. But not enough attention has been paid to Alex Caruso, who has been a difference-maker all postseason. The team traded Josh Giddey to acquire the veteran, and he has been exactly what they needed in this playoff run. Across the postseason, Caruso is averaging 9.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. He has seen his level of opportunity grow from 19.3 minutes per game in the regular season to 24.2 minutes per game in the playoffs, and he has logged 27 minutes or greater in every game of the Finals.
Caruso has tallied 20 points in two Finals games and has looked confident offensively. He has shot 41.7% on three-point attempts across the playoffs while launching 4.0 perimeter shots per game. Caruso is averaging 12.2 points per game in the series and shot 8-for-19 (42.1%) on his three-point looks. The Texas A&M product is coming off an outlier performance in which he was held to just two points, 0-for-3 three-point shooting, and a playoff-worst 1-for-8 shooting effort from the field in the previous game.
Expect a bounce-back performance from Caruso tonight and for him to be a key part of the knockout punch the Thunder will be looking to supply. Caruso will continue to benefit from open looks as the defense prioritizes stopping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams’ attack on the rim, especially on the heels of the duo combining for 71 points in Game 5. Caruso is one of the more mentally tough players in the league and should have no problem brushing off the poor shooting performance. He has answered the call at every stage of the playoffs thus far and expect the expanded minutes to continue leading to more scoring opportunities. Count on the former champion to tally more than 9.5 points for the fourth time in this series and be ready to leave it all on the floor with another championship on the line.
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!
