Tyrese Haliburton strikes again. Pacers' dirty word? Turnovers. Chet Holmgren disappears.

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2 days ago

Tyrese Haliburton strikes again. Pacers' dirty word? Turnovers. Chet Holmgren disappears.
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Pacers and Thunder NBA Finals is better than it's 'small-market' billing
USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the star-studded NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sports Pulse
If Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals was any indication of what the rest of the series holds, hoops fans should be delighted.
The Indiana Pacers stole Game 1 from the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-110, on Tyrese Haliburton's thrilling game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds left. For the Pacers, it was yet another comeback victory from a deficit of at least 15 points, their fifth of the 2025 postseason.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 38 points on 14-of-30 shooting, while Indiana forward Pascal Siakam paced his team with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pacers had six players, including all five starters, reach double-figures in scoring.
OPINION: Pacers teach Thunder hard lesson in NBA Finals Game 1. You cannot count them out.
MORE: Tyrese Haliburton game-winners: Pacers star has been hero throughout 2025 NBA playoffs
The winners and losers from Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder:
WINNERS
Tyrese Haliburton, Mr. Clutch, strikes again
This was a good — not great — game for Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Held in check for most of the game, Haliburton shined brightest in the clutch, as he has all season. Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, but his game-winning, 21-foot jumper over Thunder guard Cason Wallace is what makes him a singular talent.
WATCH: Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot in NBA Finals Game 1
This season, Haliburton is 13-of-15 (86.7%) on shots inside the final two minutes (including overtime) to tie or take the lead. He has scored 32 points across those 15 attempts, giving him 2.13 points per shot attempt in such scenarios.
In the postseason alone, Haliburton is 6-of-7 (85.7%) on shots inside the final two minutes to tie or take the lead.
The Pacers clamp down on defense
Much of the attention from the wild Pacers comeback will go to its up-tempo offense in the fourth quarter. Don't sleep on Indiana's defense. Despite being put in compromising spots because of their 25 turnovers, the Pacers hustled back on defense and recovered in transition. That's why the Thunder were never able to ignite on debilitating runs; despite losing the turnover battle 25-7, Indiana ceded just 11 points off those giveaways, compared to the four the Pacers scored.
In the final two-and-a-half minutes, the Pacers gave up just two points. They held the Thunder to just 1-of-6 shooting in that span.
Andrew Nembhard
As he has throughout this postseason, Nembhard had another seemingly quiet but massive game, especially when his team needed it most. Nembhard scored eight of his 14 points in the fourth, including a massive, stepback 3 over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — his teammate on Canada Basketball — with 1:59 to play.
His most significant contribution, however, might have been on defense. For much of the fourth, Nembhard served as the primary defender on Gilgeous-Alexander. Nembhard limited SGA to four shot attempts in the period, and his physicality on Gilgeous-Alexander's final attempt with 11 seconds left helped set up Haliburton's game-winner.
The Pacers clear the glass
In the regular season, the Pacers were tied for 27th in rebounds, hauling in just 41.8 per game. The Thunder were tied for 11th (44.8). Yet, in Game 1, Indiana outworked OKC and claimed a 56-39 edge, or a +17 differential.
The Pacers did turn the ball over much more, and Oklahoma City did attempt 16 more shots, which in theory diminished the number of defensive rebounds available for the Thunder. This is an area of relative weakness for Indiana, one the Thunder should try to exploit.
LOSERS
Thunder finishing in the fourth
Oklahoma City isn't a team that typically squanders leads late in games, especially at home. Yet, the Thunder got outscored by 10 in the final period and faltered on both sides. Not only did OKC go cold in the fourth, with seven misses coming within the paint, but the Thunder also lost defensive intention and focus and let Indiana shoot 50% from the floor. In fact, the Pacers drilled 6-of-10 from 3, while the Thunder did not make any of their five attempts from beyond the arc.
In the final 2:38, the Thunder, who held a nine-point lead inside the final 3 minutes of the game, allowed the Pacers to score 12 points.
Pacers turnovers
The Pacers have grit, at this point there can be no question. But Indiana should also consider itself to be quite fortunate. That's because, simply put, there is no way the Pacers can win this series if they turn the ball over anywhere near the way they did in Game 1. Indiana committed 25 turnovers Thursday night, which, for most of the game, played right into Oklahoma City's hands.
The Pacers, though, did improve as the game went on; 20 of those turnovers came in the first half.
Chet Holmgren
In a game in which Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 38 and Lu Dort added 15 on five made 3-pointers, center Chet Holmgren underwhelmed. His six points marked his lowest output of the postseason, as did his two made field goals. And then, defensively, Holmgren also struggled at times to find Pacers center Myles Turner, who went 3-of-4 in the fourth quarter.