Tragedy strikes the Pacers! After getting absolutely decimated by the Knicks on Thursday at MSG, they headed into tonight’s Game 6 hoping to shake off that loss and finally put this series to bed. Playing on their home court, with thousands of fans supporting them, Tyrese Haliburton and Co. started the game with high energy, maintaining a comfortable lead for majority of the game. But things took an unfortunate turn when forward Jarace Walker was forced to exit the floor due to a scary injury.

It happened in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. As Karl-Anthony Towns drove to the basket for a layup attempt, Walker went chest-to-chest with him trying to contest his shot. But he was unable to stop the Knicks star from scoring. Making things worse, Jarace landed awkwardly on his right ankle, suffering a gruesome injury. While the play continued, he lay on the floor in immense agony.

Because of the 4 on 5 disadvantage on the other end, the Pacers committed a turnover, leading to a wide-open transition dunk for OG Anunoby. Meanwhile, Jarace continued to suffer on the floor, favoring his ankle. Sure enough, Rick Carlisle was left with no option but to call a timeout and sub out the injured star. Even as he got up, Walker could not put any weight on his right leg. He was hurt. Bad.

He was eventually assisted to the locker room by his teammates and staff. As expected, Walker did not return for the remainder of the game. The youngster’s night ended with 2 points in seven minutes of play. Well, the severity of Jarace’s injury is yet to be determined, but the scary replay did not look promising. He could very well be out for the rest of the playoffs. If that’s the case, he averaged 3 points and nearly two rebounds during this run. Fortunately, Walker’s injury did not halt the Pacers’ momentum.

Pacers end 25-year drought despite Jarace Walker’s scary ankle injury

When Walker hurt his ankle, the Indiana team already had complete control of the game. They were up by 11 points when he left. Moreover, the forward was not a key part of Carlisle’s rotation, having played only thirteen minutes in this series prior to tonight. So, even though it hurt to see him suffer, Walker’s departure did not affect the Pacers’ momentum.

Following his exit, Tyrese Haliburton and Co. continue to extend their lead, eventually blowing out the Knicks by 17 points. Kind of poetic because that’s how much they lost by in Game 5. Just like that, the Pacers ended their 25-year NBA Finals drought, making it to the biggest stage for the first time since Reggie Miller led them there in 2000.

Of course, it took a collective team effort from the Pacers to get there. Tonight, seven Pacers players scored in double-digits, with the starters combining for 87 points. As expected, Haliburton led the charge with a 21-point double-double. Meanwhile, Pascal Siakam took care of the scoring load with his 31-point performance. Now, the franchise is only four wins away from realizing the ultimate dream of winning the NBA championship. Do you think they can do it?