The Indiana Pacers start the NBA Finals tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center.
Indiana — which last made the Finals in 2000 and is seeking its first NBA championship — was the Eastern Conference No. 4 seed before defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. Pascal Siakam earned Eastern Conference Finals MVP honors.
OKC, led by league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, had the NBA’s best regular-season and beat the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference playoffs. The Thunder are in their first NBA Finals since 2012 and have not win a championship in Oklahoma City.
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Dustin Dopirak, IndyStar: Thunder 117-110
“Rick Carlisle has been in awe of the Thunder’s roster construction, noting a lack of holes. They have top-of-the-line perimeter defenders on both the first and second units, switchable defenders on the wings and excellent rim protection. Plus, of course, the MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander driving the train on offense. The Pacers are on a magical run and they have a legitimate chance to win this series, but if it’s going to happen, it will probably take a game or two for them to get into the flow of the series and develop adjustments. For them to pull that off in Game 1 would be a lot to ask.”
Pacers vs. Thunder injury report today, June 5
Pacers: Jarace Walker (ankle) and Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) are out.
Thunder: None.
TV: ABC, with Mike Breen (play-by-play), Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson (analysis) and Lisa Salters (sideline reporting)
93.5 and 107.5 FM in Indianapolis, with Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analysis) and Pat Boylan (sideline reporting). Game 1 streaming is on SiriusXM channels 81 and 86 (Thunder feed).
NBA Finals tip off time; what time is the Pacers game tonight?
(*-if necessary; all games are ET and on ABC)
- Game 1, Thurs., June 5: at Thunder, 8:30 p.m.
- Game 2, Sun., June 8: at Thunder, 8 p.m.
- Game 3, Wed., June 11: at Pacers, 8:30 p.m.
- Game 4, Fri., June 13: at Pacers, 8:30 p.m.
- *-Game 5, Mon., June 16: at Thunder, 8:30 p.m.
- *-Game 6, Thurs., June 19: at Pacers, 8:30 p.m.
- *-Game 7, Sun., June 22: at Thunder, 8 p.m.
Get IndyStar’s book celebrating the Pacers’ playoff run
Are Pacers favored over OKC Thunder in 2025 NBA Finals? Thunder-Pacers betting odds
via BetMGM
- Thunder are -700 to win the NBA Finals; Pacers are +500 to win the NBA Finals
Are Pacers favored over OKC Thunder in Game 1 2025 NBA Finals? Thunder-Pacers betting odds
via BetMGM
Game 1 favorite: Thunder by 9.5 points
Over/under: 230.5 total points
Moneyline: Pacers +310, Thunder -400
(conference finals averages)
- Pascal Siakam (24.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 50% 3-pointers, 67.4% free throws)
- Tyrese Haliburton (21.0 points, 10.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 32.7% 3-pointers)
- Aaron Nesmith (13.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 53.3% 3-pointers)
- Myles Turner (13.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocked shots)
- Andrew Nembhard (9.8 points, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 43.8% 3-pointers)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.4 points, 8.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 86.3% free throws)
- Jalen Williams (22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 46.2% 3-pointers)
- Chet Holmgren (18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 blocked shots, 36.8% 3-pointers)
- Lu Dort (7.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 37.0% 3-pointers)
- Isaiah Hartenstein (6.8 points, 6.0 rebounds)
