Pacers at Thunder NBA Finals Game 5 picks, odds, how to watch: OKC aims for first series lead
For much of this year's NBA Playoffs, the Indiana Pacers have been the team making comebacks. In Friday's Game 4, it was the Oklahoma City Thunder that came back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to get a win.
With the series now tied 2-2 and returning to Oklahoma, the Thunder are massive favorites to win what has now become a best-of-3 series.
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This game will also be available on ESPN+.
Series tied 2-2
Series odds: Thunder -625, Pacers +450
Even after the Pacers won Game 3 and took a 2-1 series lead, the Thunder were still strong favorites to win the series. After all, the Thunder were among the biggest favorites in the history of the NBA Finals before the series started. A 2-1 series deficit with one home loss wasn't enough to entirely change that.
However, when Indiana built a 10-point lead late in the third quarter of Game 4, there were probably some Indiana fans thinking, 'Hey, the Pacers might actually do this.' At that point, it was easy to dream about a 3-1 series lead, which would have given the Pacers three chances to win a title, including one at home.
But then the Thunder outscored the Pacers 35-18 in the last 13 minutes of Game 4, and it's almost back to normal. The Thunder have -625 odds on BetMGM to win the title, which is almost back to where the odds were before the series (-700).
Is it fair to think Oklahoma City is a virtual lock to win a series that's tied and has featured three close games out of four? The Thunder only truly showed some separation between the teams in Game 2. OKC had a 15-point lead in Game 1, but ended up blowing that and losing.
The Thunder will be feeling good after winning on Friday despite shooting 3-of-16 from 3-point range. An off night from Tyrese Haliburton seemed to offset Oklahoma City's cold shooting. The Pacers' star was just 1-of-7 on 3-pointers and also had five turnovers as part of an 18-point night.
Haliburton's legend has grown throughout the playoffs, but it will take more memorable moments for Indiana to regain the upper hand in this series.
The Thunder won Game 4 from the free-throw line, making 34 of 38. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lived up to his reputation for drawing and sinking free throws by making all 10 of his attempts on Friday. On top of that, Jalen Williams was 11-for-11 and Chet Holmgren was 6-for-6.
Oklahoma City was 35-6 at home in the regular season and is 9-2 during these playoffs. Indiana will have to pull off another road victory to win this series, which seems like a tall task.
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(Photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
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