Tyrese Haliburton did it again.
The Indiana Pacers rallied from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit Thursday night and stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-110, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Haliburton capped the rally with yet another game-winning shot, this time with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock.
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The lead was Indiana’s first and only one of the game. But 0.3 seconds was long enough for Indiana to secure the win.
The Thunder’s desperation inbounds alley-oop attempt on the other end failed, and the Pacers walked off the Paycom Center floor victorious in front of a stunned Oklahoma City crowd.
‘It ain’t over until it’s over’
Haliburton has hit game-winners against the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and now the Thunder in these playoffs with shots that capped spectacular comebacks. He hit another to force overtime against the New York Knicks in a win in the Eastern Conference finals.
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Thursday’s shot arrived on the biggest stage in basketball.
“We’ve just had to figure out how to win in so many different ways all year, past two years,” Haliburton told ESPN postgame. “So many weird, different ways. Really proud of this group. We’re a resilient group.
“We keep believing. We keep believing and we stay together. It ain’t over until it’s over.”
Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the comeback victory that saw six Pacers players score in double figures, none of them more than 19 points.
The Pacers’ win spoiled a sensational night for league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who totaled 38 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The rally stunned a Thunder team that was the best in the league in the regular season and entered Game 1 as a heavy favorite to win the NBA title following an impressive run through the Western Conference playoffs.
Tyrese Haliburton got off to a slow start, but once again finished in style. (Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)
OKC was in complete control — until it wasn’t
For most of Thursday’s game, the Thunder looked very much like the heavy favorites. Oklahoma City rode its trademark swarming defense to what was by most measures a dominant first half. It opened the first quarter by forcing nine Pacers turnovers and allowing eight made Indiana field goals.
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By halftime, Indiana’s turnover count (19) still exceeded its made field-goal tally (15), and the Thunder held a 57-45 lead. The Thunder had 18 more field-goal attempts (54) than the Pacers (36) at the break. There was little to indicate from the first half the Pacers could mount a rally.
But Indiana limited Oklahoma City to 37% shooting in the first half to keep within striking distance. And a halftime message from head coach Rick Carlisle appeared to resonate.
‘Stay with the process’
“The good thing is, 19 turnovers — they only had nine points [off turnovers],” Carlisle said in the Pacers’ halftime locker room, per video on the ESPN broadcast. “It’s not the end of the world. We’re right there. …
“We’ve had a lot of really good looks at 3s. Some of them haven’t gone in. Stay with the process, stay with the process.”
Indiana stayed with the process. And it worked. The Pacers limited their turnovers to just five in the second half. And they found their stroke from long distance.
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The result in the third quarter was keeping pace with the Thunder, who struggled to extend their lead. The Pacers cut the Thunder edge to six points in the final seconds of the third quarter before a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 3-pointer in the final second extended the edge back to 85-76.
Oklahoma City then extended its lead to the largest of the game at 94-79 when Jalen Williams turned a steal into a transition dunk on the other end with 9:42 remaining in the fourth. But the Indiana rally was not quelled.
After a timeout, the Pacers responded with a 15-4 run to cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 98-94. They got there with the 3 ball as Obi Toppin and Myles Turner hit two each during the run. When Turner banked one in from the wing to cut the lead to four, the Oklahoma City crowd was on edge for the first time Thursday night.
The Thunder again extended their to 108-99 with a pair of Gilgeous-Alexander free throws and appeared to be back in control with less than three minutes remaining. But back-to-back 3s by Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nemhard cut the lead to 108-105.
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Siakam pulled the Pacers within 110-109 in the final minute before a missed Gilgeous-Alexander jumper with 14 seconds remaining set Haliburton up for his heroics.
The Pacers finished the game shooting 18 of 39 (46.2%) from 3-point distance. Nine different Pacers hit at least one 3. Toppin hit 5 of 8 off the bench en route to 17 points.
The Pacers limited their turnovers to 24 for the game after committing 19 in the first half. And they held the Thunder to 39.8% shooting from the floor. The Thunder secured 16 more field-goal attempts (98) than the Pacers (82). But they didn’t hit enough shots to put Indiana away.
Haliburton the hero
What Haliburton has done in these playoffs is nothing short of remarkable and unprecedented in basketball history.
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The Pacers rallied from 20 points down and a seven-point deficit in the final 40 seconds to clinch their first-round series against the Bucks. Haliburton secured the win with a go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime.
Against Cleveland in the second round, Indiana again trailed by 20 points before mounting another stunning rally.
This time, Haliburton grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw in the game’s final 12 seconds. He dribbled beyond the 3-point line and pulled up for a go-ahead 3 with 1.1 seconds remaining. That shot secured a 120-119 win and a 2-0 lead on the road over the Cavaliers.
Then, against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers trailed by 17 in the fourth quarter and by 14 with less than three minutes left in regulation.
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This time, Haliburton forced overtime with a deep buzzer-beater he initially thought was a game-winning 3.
It wasn’t. But the Pacers went on to a Game 1 win in overtime en route to a 4-2 series victory.
And now Haliburton’s done it to a Thunder team almost everyone picked to beat his Pacers in the NBA Finals.
It’s up to Oklahoma City to respond and avoid a 2-0 deficit at home. Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
