Pacers vs. Thunder Best Prop Bets for Game 1 of NBA Finals (Bet on SGA, Pascal Siakam)

Looking to bet on some player props in Game 1 of the NBA Finals?

You’ve come to the right place!

As the 2024-25 NBA season winds down, there are only so many more opportunities to bet on basketball (outside of the WNBA, of course) until the fall.

The Indiana Pacers-Oklahoma City Thunder matchup should be a fun one, especially with oddsmakers expecting a ton of scoring in Game 1 with a total in the 230s.

Stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton are intriguing options in this series opener (I have a prop for each), but there is also one Pacers star that could be a matchup issue for the Thunder.

Here’s a full breakdown of each of the props for Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

Best Prop Bets for Pacers vs. Thunder Game 1

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Tyrese Haliburton UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-125)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OVER 6.5 Assists (-140)
Pascal Siakam OVER 19.5 Points (-105)

Tyrese Haliburton UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-125)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Haliburton is a fade candidate in this market in Game 1:

Haliburton has been awesome in the playoffs for the Pacers, dictating the tempo of games on a nightly basis and driving this elite offense.

However, he has not shot the 3-ball as well as you’d expect, and I think that will continue against the NBA’s No. 1 defense.

Through 16 games this postseason, Haliburton is shooting just 33.3 percent from 3 on just over seven attempts per game. While he’s averaging 2.4 made 3s per game, he’s only cleared 2.5 made 3-pointers in six of his 16 matchups.

Three of those games came against the New York Knicks (who were just 26th in opponent 3-point percentage in the regular season), and the competition gets a lot tougher in Game 1 against OKC.

This postseason, the Thunder are holding opponents to just 33.1 percent shooting from 3-point range. Only one team that made the second round (Boston) held opponents to a better percentage from beyond the arc.

With Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams and others likely to bother Haliburton, I think he falls just short of this line for the 11th time this postseason.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OVER 6.5 Assists (-140)

The league MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander has been great at passing the ball in the playoffs, averaging 6.9 assists per game.

Teams have really tried to wall him off going to the rim, but he’s found a way to constantly involve his teammates. In fact, SGA is averaging 15.3 potential assists per game in the postseason.

Now, the Pacers are one of the better defenses at limiting opponent assists this postseason, giving up just 21.2 per game, but SGA’s usage rate should be off the charts in this series.

He also is coming off a Western Conference Finals where he picked up eight or more dimes in four of his five games. Overall, SGA has 10 games with seven or more assists this postseason.

Pascal Siakam OVER 19.5 Points (-105)

Pascal Siakam won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP for Indiana by scoring 30 or more points in three of his six games against the New York Knicks.

Siakam was a matchup nightmare for the Knicks in transition, especially when he was switched onto smaller players.

Against the Thunder, he may draw Isaiah Hartenstein or Chet Holmgren at times, but when OKC goes small, I expect Siakam to hunt mismatches for the Pacers.

Siakam has eight games with 20 or more points and is averaging 21.1 points per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 46.3 percent from deep in the playoffs.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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