Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals lived up to the hype. The Indiana Pacers used a 12-2 run over the final 2:38 to pull off a stunning 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, capped off by a clutch go-ahead jumper from Tyrese Haliburton with 0.3 second remaining.
Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in his finals debut. And his last-second shot gave the Pacers their first lead of the game.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter. The comeback win marked the fifth time during this year’s playoffs that the Pacers overcame a deficit of at least 15 points to win — the most in the play-by-play era. The Pacers also made history as the first team since the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 to win an NBA Finals game despite committing 25 turnovers.
Tyrese Haliburton on verge of besting Michael Jordan, LeBron James for most clutch playoff run in NBA history
Sam Quinn
Haliburton has been no stranger to clutch shots this postseason. The Pacers’ superstar orchestrated one of the most dramatic playoff wins in recent NBA history last month in the Eastern Conference finals vs. the Knicks by hitting a fadeaway jumper at the top of the key to send the game to overtime. Indiana trailed in that game by 14 points with 2:45 remaining.
Haliburton also made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, giving his team a 120-119 win.
After Haliburton’s latest heroics, the NBA world and sports community reacted to the dramatic finish. Former NBA champion Dwyane Wade was left stunned, gave an NSFW recap of the ending, and then admitted that he must get a signed Haliburton jersey.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark weighed in on how most neutral observers felt when watching the end of that game.
NBA legend Magic Johnson, who is considered one of the greatest point guards in the league’s history, was stunned.
The fans back in Indiana happily celebrated the win from over 1,000 miles away.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey couldn’t believe what he saw.
Atlanta Hawks forward Georges Niang, a fellow Iowa State product like Haliburton, also was shocked.
The playoff run that Haliburton is on caught the attention of WNBA star Arike Ogunbowale.
Dallas Cowboys stars CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons weighed in on Haliburton’s clutch shot.
With the Pacers taking a 1-0 series lead, Oklahoma City has to get back on track fast to avoid a 2-0 series deficit heading back to Indiana next week. Former Pacers star Victor Oladipo weighed in.
Former Colts punter and Pacers fan Pat McAfee referred to Indiana’s superstar as “Tyrese big shot Halliburton.”
Halliburton may have made his finals debut against Oklahoma City in Game 1, but he already has a signature moment on the biggest stage in basketball.
