2025 NBA Finals: How Haliburton and Indy stole Game 1

(4) Indiana Pacers pb (1) Oklahoma City Thunder 1-0

Game 1: Pacers 111, Thunder 110

For the archetypal 47 minutes and 40 seconds of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander thoroughly outplayed Tyrese Haliburton successful the conflict of prima constituent guards.

But arsenic Pacers manager Rick Carlisle said aft Indiana's singular comeback to bushed the New York Knicks successful Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, it is simply a 48-minute game. And, successful those last 20 seconds -- for the latest clip successful these playoffs -- Haliburton and the Pacers turned the narrative.

First, it was Gilgeous-Alexander -- who had 38 points but went 14-for-30 from the tract -- missing a cleanable mid-range jumper, his specialty, that would've fixed the Thunder a 3-point pb with 10 seconds to go. And then, it was Haliburton erstwhile again playing the relation of roadworthy spoiler, hitting a circus changeable that mightiness not person been quite arsenic spectacular arsenic his one-bounce occurrence astatine Madison Square Garden a mates of weeks back. But, dissimilar that shot, it won the Pacers the crippled successful regulation.

As a result, Indiana -- which virtually ne'er led until Haliburton's changeable from conscionable wrong the 3-point arc dropped done the hoop with 0.3 seconds remaining -- someway near the Paycom Center Thursday nighttime with a 111-110 triumph implicit the heavy favored Thunder, and injected a monolithic magnitude of beingness into this series.

For overmuch of this game, the Thunder were the ones dictating the presumption of engagement. They forced Indiana -- typically large astatine taking attraction of the shot -- into a squad that was flinging the shot each implicit to the tune of 24 giveaways, compared to lone six for Oklahoma City.

The Thunder took 16 much shots than the Pacers, but the Pacers deed a clump of 3s - including 6-for-10 successful the 4th fourth -- and the Thunder, arsenic they are prone to do, missed a full clump of them. That allowed Indiana -- a squad that has pulled disconnected 1 singular comeback aft different successful these playoffs -- to find itself successful premier presumption erstwhile again.

And, similar helium has truthful galore times successful these playoffs, Haliburton delivered successful the biggest moment.

There are inactive plentifulness of reasons to deliberation Oklahoma City is the deserved favourite successful this series. But the 2nd fractional of this crippled revealed a blueprint: The Pacers took acold amended attraction of the ball, and their high-octane discourtesy took off. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, got into a rut offensively, and Gilgeous-Alexander himself had a mates of captious misses successful the closing moments.

Because of it, similar they did successful some the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Eastern Conference finals successful New York, the Pacers person claimed a Game 1 roadworthy victory.

And, arsenic a result, we person ourselves a series. --Tim Bontemps

The Thunder request 48 minutes of their NBA-best defense, not 24

The archetypal fractional displayed the Thunder's antiaircraft fury astatine its finest, forcing 19 turnovers portion holding the Pacers to 45 points. But it didn't clasp up successful the 2nd half.

Maybe it conscionable took the Pacers a mates of quarters to set to the Thunder's antiaircraft pressure, but Indiana looked comfy aft halftime, exploding for 66 points successful the 2nd fractional -- 35 successful the 4th quarter, punctuated by Haliburton's game-winner -- to propulsion disconnected the upset.

Indiana committed conscionable six turnovers successful the 2nd half, too, playing their benignant of fast-paced, under-control offense. -- Tim MacMahon

A caller usher to different ridiculous Pacers comeback: chopped the turnovers

If this postseason has taught america anything, it's that the Pacers tin ne'er beryllium counted out. After trailing by 15 points successful the 4th quarter, Indiana stormed backmost to bargain Game 1 connected yet different game-winning changeable from Haliburton with 0.3 remaining, the lone pb the Pacers had each game.

It's go a bid staple for the Pacers during this postseason run: a fourth-quarter comeback that has demoralized each of their erstwhile 3 opponents.

Indiana's comeback this clip was fueled by its accustomed suspects, immoderate clutch three-point shots from Myles Turner, Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith, and taking amended attraction of the shot aft record-setting turnovers successful the archetypal half.

And then, of course, Haliburton deed different large changeable to seal the deal. -- Jamal Collier

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Pacers instrumentality Game 1 aft miraculous 4th-quarter comeback

The Pacers erase a 15-point shortage that ends with a Tyrese Haliburton buzzer-beater to instrumentality Game 1.

What to ticker for successful Game 2

Game 2: Pacers astatine Thunder (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Can Indiana bash it again? This is the 3rd consecutive bid successful which the Pacers person stolen Game 1 connected the road, and each of the past 2 times it happened, they besides won Game 2 to instrumentality a commanding 2-0 lead.

In general, teams that suffer Game 1 astatine location are dense favorites to adjacent the series. Overall, since 2021, higher seeds successful that concern person gone 21-7 successful Game 2 with a plus-12.1 constituent differential.

In these playoffs, teams that person mislaid Game 1 astatine location person outscored opponents by an mean of 12 points per crippled successful Game 2. There person been much than capable blowout wins (including Oklahoma City beating the Denver Nuggets by 43 successful Game 2 this season) to outweigh conscionable 3 Game 2s that person gone to roadworthy teams -- Indiana doubly and the Knicks implicit the Boston Celtics successful the 2nd round.

In part, it's an inevitable merchandise of quality nature. Road teams person already accomplished their extremity by assuring a divided of the archetypal 2 games, giving them home-court vantage successful the series.

Credit the Pacers for not being satisfied and taking leads that proved insurmountable. Doing truthful against a Thunder squad that has mislaid consecutive games conscionable doubly each play volition beryllium the toughest trial yet . -- Kevin Pelton