Please scroll down to watch my latest video on the key battleground area in the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers.
One stat is determining the outcome of the 2025 NBA Finals: paint touches.
Indiana had more paint touches than Oklahoma City in its Game 1 win (21-15). Then, Oklahoma City responded by getting into the paint more in Game 2 (24-10).
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Overall, the Thunder have won the battle on the inside through two games, outscoring the Pacers by 20 points in the paint. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 28 of his 72 points inside the free-throw line and has already drawn 16 fouls in the process. Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton has taken just five shots in the paint and drawn just two fouls through two games.
This has a trickle-down effect on the rest of both teams’ offenses because paint touches help create more open shots from outside. The pressure SGA applies on his drives forces the Pacers’ defense to collapse, leading to open shots for his teammates. In Game 2, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins, in particular, made the Pacers pay.
Indiana’s best stretches in this series have come when it has been able to do damage in this area as well.
Paint touches fueled the Pacers’ Game 1 comeback. Time and time again, the Pacers were able to get into the teeth of Oklahoma City’s defense in the fourth quarter and kick it out to their shooters. This led to a barrage of 3-pointers by Indiana, which helped them come back from a 15-point deficit to win the game. This is all the more important for the Pacers because Oklahoma City’s defensive style, while suffocating, can be prone to conceding more 3-point shots.
If the Pacers want to get another win in Game 3, they must win the battle on the inside.
