4 things OKC Thunder must do to win Game 3 over Pacers in 2025 NBA Finals
4 things OKC Thunder must do to win Game 3 over Pacers in 2025 NBA Finals
After a split at home, the Oklahoma City Thunder travel on the road to face the Indiana Pacers for Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The title favorite hopes to at least split the two-game road trip.
The Pacers stunned the NBA world when Tyrese Haliburton scored the Game 1 game-winner with 0.3 seconds left. After the heartbreaker, the Thunder bounced back with a 123-107 Game 2 win to even the championship series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had a historic start with 72 points through the first two games.
If the Thunder can go on the road and secure Game 3, all of the momentum will be back on their side. Here are four things they must do to create a 2-1 series lead over the Pacers:
SGA continues to be unstoppable
The Thunder start and stop with Gilgeous-Alexander. If the MVP winner is on a roll, they are nearly unbeatable. Through two games, he's made the NBA Finals look like a walk in the park. He's averaged 36 points on 49% shooting and 5.5 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been heads and shoulders above the rest of the field. The Pacers have historically struggled to contain the drive-heavy scorer. That's been the case again at the NBA's biggest stage. They don't possess the personnel even to be a headache for him.
The Thunder will need Gilgeous-Alexander to continue to average an efficient 30-plus points. He's their biggest advantage. The Pacers don't have a counter as they're an evenly distributed team. They have seven players who can score 10-plus points, but none a consistent 30-plus scorer.
Williams steps up as 2nd scorer
The Thunder evened the NBA Finals despite Jalen Williams struggling. He's averaged 18 points on ugly 33.3% shooting. The jumper has fallen off. He's managed to score points by getting to the free-throw line, but that's been the only area of his scoring profile that's met expectations.
Both teams have had no-shows from their second-best scorers. Williams and Pascal Siakam have had trouble. The Thunder will need more from the 24-year-old if they want to go on the road in a hostile environment and at least split the next two games.
Maybe Williams can find a groove on the road. The rhythm scorer has had his two 30-point outings in the playoffs on the road at Denver and Minnesota. If he can do that again in Indiana, that puts all the pressure on the Pacers to find a counter.
Survive Pacers' initial punch
Hosting their first NBA Finals game in 25 years, expect the Pacers crowd to be the best road environment the Thunder have been in all playoffs. No offense to Memphis, Denver and Minnesota, but Indiana is known as a basketball state.
Mark Daigneault has previously said he loves road games. It's their small group against thousands of folks. The Thunder should predict the Pacers will get off to a hot start, backed by their crowd support. It's about what they do after the first punch that could decide how Game 3 plays out.
Staying calm in a storm of emotions is their best bet. Gilgeous-Alexander is as cool as they come. If the Thunder can copy their franchise player, they should be able to play at a high level on the court regardless of their environment.
Win the possession battle
This has been a Daigneault staple since he became head coach. The Thunder might not be the NBA's best offense, but they destroy teams from the sheer number of possessions they create. The league's best defense can create turnovers from its defensive personnel. That fuels a bunch of steal-and-score sequences that escalate the scoreboard.
If the Thunder can have a plus-10-ish shot-attempt advantage over the Pacers, that should help them survive most hot outside shooting nights. That was the formula in their Game 4 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. It could be a similar game script in Game 3 as Indiana's role players will hit on demoralizing shot attempts.
The best way to survive that is with fastbreak buckets. If the Thunder can keep up on the scoreboard, they should have a prime opportunity to buckle up in the clutch and allow Gilgeous-Alexander to carry them over the finish line with an MVP finish.
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