Thunder open NBA Finals against the Pacers
Associated Press
Indiana Pacers (50-32, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14, first in the Western Conference)
Oklahoma City; Thursday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -9.5; over/under is 231
NBA FINALS: Thunder host first series matchup
BOTTOM LINE: The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Indiana Pacers in game one of the NBA Finals. Oklahoma City went 2-0 against Indiana during the regular season. The Thunder won the last regular season matchup 132-111 on Sunday, March 30 led by 33 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, while Tyrese Haliburton scored 18 points for the Pacers.
The Thunder are 36-6 on their home court. Oklahoma City ranks sixth in the league averaging 14.5 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 37.4% from downtown. Isaiah Joe leads the team averaging 2.6 makes while shooting 41.2% from 3-point range.
The Pacers have gone 21-20 away from home. Indiana has a 22-15 record against opponents over .500.
The Thunder are shooting 48.2% from the field this season, 0.8 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Pacers allow to opponents. The Pacers average 13.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 fewer makes per game than the Thunder allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and 1.7 steals for the Thunder. Jalen Williams is averaging 20.1 points over the last 10 games.
Myles Turner is scoring 15.6 points per game and averaging 6.5 rebounds for the Pacers. Pascal Siakam is averaging 22.1 points and 5.4 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 7-3, averaging 112.5 points, 43.7 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 10.5 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.1 points per game.
Pacers: 7-3, averaging 116.8 points, 38.3 rebounds, 26.9 assists, 7.9 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.9 points.
INJURIES: Thunder: Nikola Topic: out for season (acl).
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson: out for season (calf), Jarace Walker: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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