OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder's lead in the 2025 NBA Finals was not enough to secure a victory. The team started the series with a half of defensive basketball that was borderline-unbelievable, forcing the visiting Indiana Pacers into a whopping 19 turnovers of all shapes and sizes. The Pacers entered the Finals with a pristine picture of offensive efficiency, scoring nearly 120 points per 100 possessions, but against the best defense in the NBA, they struggled to complete a pass for two quarters. The Thunder were down by only 12 at halftime and only eight after three quarters, but in the fourth quarter, the Pacers outscored them 32-16 to take the lead. Oklahoma City had led by 15 with 9:42 to go after a pick-six dunk by Jalen Williams, but the Pacers' final-second dagger by Tyrese Haliburton capped a 12-2 run in the final 2:52 of the fourth quarter to deliver yet another nearly unbelievable victory. "You don't want to live and die with the best player on the other team taking a game-winner with a couple seconds left," said Thunder guard Alex Caruso. "You want to try to control the game coming down so it doesn't fall into that." The Thunder squandered golden opportunities in the first and third quarters, turning those 19 Pacers turnovers into only nine points and shooting just 37% from the field as a team in the first half. In the fourth quarter, they came up empty on five of their final six possessions, leaving the door open for Haliburton to kick it off the hinges once again. "Our offense was really slow, I think," said Williams. "We kind of let that dictate how we played on defense...it was kind of like we were trying to play like we were trying to keep the lead instead of trying to extend it, keep being aggressive." The Pacers' sense of self has soared after their impressive victory, while the Thunder need a trip back to the film room and the drawing board. "The playoffs take you to the limit," said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. "They put your back against the wall—in games, in series. If you make it this far, you have to endure to do that. It gives you rich experiences that you can draw on...We don't have to be perfect, but we do have to learn from it."
