Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder's Last-Second Game 1 Finals Loss to Pacers

The Oklahoma City Thunder led by as many as 15 points with 9:42 remaining but lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals to the Indiana Pacers, 111-110, on a last-second Tyrese Haliburton jump shot Thursday night.

The Pacers did not call a timeout after rebounding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's mid-range miss with 10 seconds left. Haliburton pushed the ball to the right wing, rose over a Cason Wallace contest and drained his third game-winner of the 2025 playoffs. That jumper provided Indiana with its first and only lead of the game, which was all it ultimately needed.

Haliburton finished with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, six assists and a block. Six Pacers scored double-digits, and 10 of their 11 players who checked in made at least one 3-pointer.

Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 19 points on 7-for-15 shooting and 4-for-6 free throws. Siakam blocked a Gilgeous-Alexander driving layup entering the final minute and immediately made a putback layup on the other end, cutting Indiana's deficit to one point. He added 10 rebounds (four offensive), three assists and a block.

Myles Turner (5) and Bennedict Mathurin (3) also grabbed multiple offensive boards for the Pacers. Andrew Nembhard tied Haliburton in assists and swished a step-back triple at the two-minute mark.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored the most points in a Finals debut (38) since Allen Iverson in 2001. He shot 14-for-30 from the field and 7-for-8 at the line, adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals in the losing effort.

Statistic	Thunder	Pacers
Points	110	111
2-Pointers	28-for-68	21-for-43
3-Pointers	11-for-30	18-for-39
Free Throws	21-for-24	15-for-21
Turnovers	6	24
Offensive Rebounds	10	13

Let's dive into three takeaways from the Thunder's Game 1 collapse.

Indiana makes the improbable look ordinary

A seven-point deficit with 40 seconds left in overtime during Game 5 of the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks? Pacers win. A seven-point deficit with 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter during Game 2 of the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers? Pacers win. A nine-point deficit with 59 seconds left in the fourth quarter during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks? Pacers win in overtime.

Indiana has now made its fourth remarkable turnaround in the 2025 playoffs, erasing a nine-point deficit with under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma City — the first such Finals comeback in 183 opportunities. The Pacers grabbed five offensive rebounds and shot 6-for-10 on 3-pointers during the final frame, scoring on five of their last six possessions.

Chalking up the Pacers' second-half performance to luck is a significant miscalculation. They have reliable shotmakers across the board and played smarter and harder than the Thunder down the stretch. Oklahoma City must play with 48-minute intensity for the rest of the series to maximize its chances, especially with two days of rest between all but one game.

First-half wastefulness opened the door

The Thunder dominated the margins throughout the first 24 minutes, securing two more offensive rebounds and forcing 15 more turnovers (!!!) than it committed. Luguentz Dort (4), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (3) and Alex Caruso (3) each swiped multiple steals, while the Pacers did not record a live-ball takeaway before halftime. This resulted in Oklahoma City taking 54 field-goal attempts to Indiana's 35.

However, dominating the possession battle only matters when paired with the corresponding efficiency. The Thunder shot a dreadful 13-for-36 (36.1%) inside the arc during the first two quarters, missing 15 looks within five feet. The Pacers only attempted five first-half shots from that distance.

The Thunder forced 25 turnovers — its most of any 2025 playoff game — and scored 11 points off turnovers — its fewest of any 2025 playoff game.

Oklahoma City led 57-45 at the break, which was an inadequate advantage to prevent Indiana from sticking around until the final buzzer. The Pacers won the third quarter by three points and the fourth quarter by 10 points, registering more second-half offensive rebounds (9) than turnovers (5) with much more decisive play. The Thunder's first-half inefficiency and clutch struggles were a tough combination on the global stage.

Not enough production from the secondary scorers

Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren combined for 8-for-28 shooting in their first Finals appearance. They shot 7-for-15 in the restricted area, 0-for-4 on other paint attempts, 0-for-4 on mid-range jumpers and 1-for-5 on 3-pointers — simply too inefficient to match the Pacers' red-hot shooting.

Williams did not have the pull-up touch he demonstrated over and over again during the Western Conference Finals, while Holmgren blew a handful of layups contested by Turner. The latter missed his only attempted three. Oklahoma City has earned more positive results when its No. 2 and No. 3 options play well, and needs them to be better moving forward.

Game 2 between the Thunder and Pacers starts in Paycom Center this Sunday, June 8 at 7 p.m. CST.

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