Pacers vs. Thunder NBA Finals Odds Shifting Towards Indiana Ahead of Game 1

The Pacers are major underdogs in the NBA Finals, but they odds have moved towards them ahead of Game 1.

The Pacers are still major underdogs in the NBA Finals. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The 2025 NBA Finals are set, as the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder will represent the Western Conference while the No. 4-seeded Indiana Pacers will represent the Eastern Conference.

OKC won 68 games during the regular season -- the best mark in the NBA -- and had a historic net rating. As a result, oddsmakers have set the Thunder as pretty massive favorites in the Finals.

OKC opened as a -800 favorite, one of the biggest favorites in the Finals in league history.

Biggest NBA Finals favorites since 1968, per @SOHistory:

2001 Lakers -2000 (vs. 76ers)
2018 Warriors -1075 (vs. Cavs)
1996 Bulls -950 (vs. Sonics)
1999 Spurs -900 (vs. NY Knicks)
2000 Lakers -800 (vs. Pacers)
2025 Thunder -800 (vs. Pacers)

Every favorite won the series

— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) June 1, 2025

However, those odds have shifted ahead of Game 1 on Thursday night. The Thunder are now -700 at DraftKings Sportsbook (the Pacers are +500) to win the title this season. Based on implied probability, the Thunder have a 87.5 percent chance to win the title while the Pacers have a 16.67 percent chance.

Even though this odds movement still shows OKC as a massive favorite, it is notable that the odds are starting to move in the Pacers' favor. Indiana is a nine-point underdog in Game 1, and it'll likely be an underdog in just about every game in this series.

Still, the Pacers have the best offense in the playoffs right now, leading the league in effective field goal percentage while posting the second-best offensive rating in the postseason. OKC, on the other hand, has the No. 1 defense and thrives off of forcing turnovers.

The Pacers have been underrated all postseason, as they were set as underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks in their playoff matchups. Still, Indiana beat both teams to reach the Finals.

OKC is a different beast, but there's a chance these series odds could continue to move in the Pacers' favor, especially if they steal one of the opening games in Oklahoma City.

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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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