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The 2025 NBA Finals are underway as the Pacers and Thunder face off in Game 1 from Oklahoma City.
The series projects to be a battle between arguably the NBA's most dynamic offense and the league's best defense. The two franchises, each led by their star guard, are searching for their first NBA title in their current city. Follow along below for live updates from Game 1.
The best way to describe the resilience of the Pacers: They were down 15 points in the fourth quarter of a Finals game. If they win this, it wouldn't be one of their three best comebacks this postseason.
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Every Pacers playoff game is basically last year's WrestleMania main event. You get to the fourth quarter, things get crazy, then boom, the lights go out and the Undertaker is standing behind somebody at halfcourt.
Q4 22.1 – Thunder 110, Pacers 109
Two free throws from Andrew Nembhard and a layup by Pascal Siakam after an offensive rebound makes it a one-point game.
Jalen Williams misses a wild shot and the ball goes out of bounds off Siakam. The Pacers challenge the ruling on the floor, presumably hoping that Siakam was fouled going after the loose ball.
That certainly looks like a loose ball foul on Wallace before the ball goes out of bounds off Siakam…
I believe it was the midwest philosopher Eric Nehm, who once said, “Do not count the Pacers out.”
The Indiana Pacers are in another chaotic game. It's a one-point game with 22.5 seconds left. Challenge to Rick Carlisle to try to get the possession as Pascal Siakam fell out of bounds trying to track down a defensive rebound.
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This might be an approximate play foul on Cason Wallace… and that would put Pascal Siakam's shaky free throw shooting on the line with Pacers down one.
Not wild about that Andrew Nembhard decision to go one-on-one instead of get Pascal Siakam the ball in the post against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but it worked out in the end with the offensive rebound.
One-point game…
It feels like every time the Pacers do something to make a run, Lu Dort has done his part to silence the run. If it wasn't a clutch 3, it was a big defensive play leading to points off the break.
Look, basketball history is being molded in real time here, but I will quickly remind the audience that we had Andrew Nembhard over 1.5 made 3s. That's quite a cool way to cash it.
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Q4 1:27 – Thunder 110, Pacers 105
Jalen Williams misses a 3 and Andrew Nembhard cashes in on stepback 3 to make it a three-point game.
A few possessions later, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives at Obi Toppin and converts a tough layup to make it a five-point game.
Big 3-point makes by Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard had the Thunder lead down to only three points. And Tyrese Haliburton created another look at a 3 to tie the game for Nesmith, but he decided to drive it and Lu Dort comes up with a big block using a whole lot of contact at the rim. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes the other way to make it a five-point game.
The Pacers seem to really be hunting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and just living with that matchup with either Tyrese Haliburton or Andrew Nembhard, rather than bringing other handsy OKC defenders into the action.
Instead of chastising Tyrese Haliburton for his lack of aggression, maybe we should praise him for realizing that Andrew Nembhard is the better option tonight. Unselfishness is good!
Why is Tyrese Haliburton hedging so high up on SGA? Just hedge in front of him to delay the dribble drive. He's inviting SGA to hit the pocket at full speed.
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Q4 2:38 – Thunder 108, Pacers 102
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two free throws before Aaron Nesmith connects on a 3 to make it a six-point game.
That Myles Turner miss has deflated the Pacers. Sometimes in the playoffs, that one big miss is your shot to flip the game and when it doesn't go down, the other team pounces.
Q4 3:07 – Thunder 106, Pacers 99
Pascal Siakam gets to the line but misses both free throws. However, on the second miss, a lane violation is called on the Thunder.
Siakam gets another attempt and knocks it down.
