NBA Finals 2025 odds: Who is favored in Thunder vs. Pacers?
NBA Finals 2025 odds: Who is favored in Thunder vs. Pacers?
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Thunder storm past Timberwolves in WCF, punch ticket to NBA Finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder looked as dominant as ever after closing out the Timberwolves 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals, trip to NBA Finals awaits.
Sports Pulse
Now that the 2025 NBA Finals are set, who is the favorite to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy?
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers are four games away for basketball immortality as they will meet in the finals after impressive runs in their respective conference. The top seed in the West, Oklahoma City breezed past the Memphis Grizzlies before outlasting the Denver Nuggets in seven games. After having little trouble against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team with the best regular season record returns for the Finals for the first time since 2012.
Meanwhile, Indiana got past the Milwaukee Bucks in five games before impressively taking down the Eastern Conference's top team in the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers haunted the New York Knicks once again with a series win in six games to get back to its first Finals since 2000.
Both teams proved they are worthy of playing for a title, and even though the Finals don't begin until next week, there's already a team favored to win it all.
Who is favored in NBA Finals 2025?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are favored to win the 2025 NBA Finals, according to betMGM.
NBA Finals 2025 Thunder vs. Pacers betting odds
Odds according to BetMGM:
Oklahoma City Thunder: -700
Indiana Pacers: +500
NBA Finals 2025 predictions
USA TODAY Sports' experts make their predictions for Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers:
Jeff Zillgitt: Thunder in five
Thunder in five Lorenzo Reyes: Thunder in six
Thunder in six Scooby Axson: Thunder in five
Thunder in five James H. Williams: Thunder in six
Thunder in six Jordan Mendoza: Thunder in six
Game 1: Pacers at Thunder (Thursday, June 5, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Pacers at Thunder (Thursday, June 5, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 2: Pacers at Thunder (Sunday, June 8, 8 p.m. ET, ABC)
Pacers at Thunder (Sunday, June 8, 8 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 3: Thunder at Pacers (Wednesday, June 11, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Thunder at Pacers (Wednesday, June 11, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 4: Thunder at Pacers (Friday, June 13, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Thunder at Pacers (Friday, June 13, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) Game 5: Pacers at Thunder, (Monday, June 16, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)*
Pacers at Thunder, (Monday, June 16, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)* Game 6: Thunder at Pacers (Thursday, June 19, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)*
Thunder at Pacers (Thursday, June 19, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)* Game 7: Pacers at Thunder (Sunday, June 22, 8 p.m. ET on ABC)*
*-if necessary
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
2025 NBA Finals: Philadelphia 76ers connections in Pacers vs. Thunder
2025 NBA Finals: Philadelphia 76ers connections in Pacers vs. Thunder The 2025 NBA Finals will get underway on Thursday from the Paycom Center as the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers will take on the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The winner of these finals will win their first title in franchise history. The Thunder moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after so many years in Seattle as the SuperSonics. The franchise won a title in Seattle in 1979, but the Thunder does not acknowledge that title as they left the history behind in Seattle. The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough 2024-25 season as they were decimated by injuries from the jump, but there are some Sixers connections in these finals on both teams. The Pacers feature former Process champion TJ McConnell as their backup point guard and they also feature big man Tony Bradley. McConnell was an undrafted rookie who played four seasons for the Sixers while Bradley played one season for Philadelphia and has been able to establish himself as a tough and physical big man option for coach Rick Carlisle to turn to. On the Thunder side of things, they feature Philadelphia's 2020 second-round pick, Isaiah Joe. After two seasons with the Sixers, Joe was waived before catching on with the Thunder. Since then, he has morphed into a reliable role player for coach Mark Daigneault as he has shot 41.2% from deep in three seasons in Oklahoma City.
USA Today
43 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won't take advantage of Thunder's special bond and chemistry
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won't take advantage of Thunder's special bond and chemistry Besides being a win machine on the court, the Oklahoma City Thunder have become notorious for their off-court antics. Group postgame interviews are a tradition that's spanned years at this point. It graduated from a local gimmick into a national trend. The Thunder always talk about their teammate chemistry. If this were NBA 2K, it'd be near 100%. No matter who you ask on the roster, everybody will have a similar answer as to how their youth and inexperience have bonded one of the NBA's youngest rosters despite being on the doorstep of a championship. This all goes back to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is tied with Lu Dort for the longest-tenured Thunder player. As he ascended into one of the league's best and an MVP winner, the 26-year-old has laid the groundwork to create a player-friendly locker room where everybody feels involved. 'We've been as close as we can be as a basketball team. Guys are connected at the hip everywhere we go. We do everything together on and off the court. Above all, we prioritize winning and enjoy each other's company," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I think it's organic. I don't think it's been anything forced. It's just who we are and the personnel of this basketball team." Sometimes ignorance is bliss. What you don't know or haven't experienced yet could be for the better. Despite their unprecedented success, the Thunder remain too young to understand the hardship and cut-throat nature of the NBA. Just like in the average person's real life, cynicism can grow as you mature into the adult world. Life can be unfair. What happens to you can be unjust. Your childhood wonder slowly disappears when you find out unpleasant answers. But enough nihilism. The Thunder are foreign to that philosophy and are four wins away from achieving basketball's greatest accomplishment of an NBA championship. No matter what happens afterward, they could always go back to that feat. But first, they must take care of the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder enter the 2025 NBA Finals as a heavy favorite. "Something you don't take for granted. You'll never know how many times you get to play for a team like this. Especially when basketball becomes a business and not just a kid running around," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's special and we try to cherish these moments no matter what's going on. Wins or losses."
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Pacers Knew Big Things Were Possible, Used Special Night To Prove It
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 31: The Indiana Pacers celebrate with the Bob Cousy Trophy after the ... More 125-108 win against the New York Knicks in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 31, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by) INDIANAPOLIS – In a sea of Indiana Pacers players, staffers, executives, luminaries, and family members, Tyrese Haliburton raised the Bob Cousy Trophy high on Saturday night. He and the Pacers had just topped the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, meaning the Pacers will be playing in the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. Celebrations had been going on for exactly 30 minutes when Myles Turner, the Pacers starting center for the last 10 years, exited the floor. Moments earlier, he was hugging his dad. Now, he was high-fiving fans and friends on his way back to the locker room. 'Four more, baby! Four more,' he exclaimed. That's the number of wins that his team needs to win their first title in NBA history. They'll play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, a series that starts later this week. The rivaling emotions the Pacers were facing in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night showed what makes their current playoff run possible. They were in the moment, celebrating a major accomplishment in front of Indiana fans, but had their eyes on a bigger prize. That's what has fueled their run to this point – a long-standing belief built up over years of hard work. 'This group has been special and pulled off some special things,' Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. 15 minutes earlier, he was hyping up the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd by reciting an old adage about the importance of basketball in the state of Indiana. But Carlisle, who is about to participate in his sixth NBA Finals as a coach or player, knows that there is more to come. 'This is no time to be popping champagne,' he said. A group that can combine those feelings is hard to build. Some teams are too excited simply to be in the playoffs – some Pacers players admitted the team had too much of that vibe in 2024. Other teams look past their accomplishments and aren't able to relish in each other's success. It takes the right blend of people and talents to craft a run like the one the Pacers are in the middle of. Turner, the one who struck that balance perfectly as he walked off the floor with pep in his step, realized his team was special almost two years ago. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, the Pacers were ready to launch. They added talent in the offseason and had postseason goals. Ahead of that campaign, the team organized a trip to Nashville, Tennessee to get together ahead of the season. They bonded and worked hard on the hardwood. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton and the newly-added Bruce Brown were the leaders when it came to planning that trip. Turner showed up and was struck by the attendance. 'Just seeing everybody's ability man… seeing the dedication,' Turner recalled of the team playing in the Music City. They were able to get on the same page before the season even started, and only T.J. McConnell (recently became a dad) and Daniel Theis (coming off of international play) didn't make the trip. It was as close to a training camp as a possible given how much of the roster made the trek. That got everyone on the same page, and togetherness has become one of the strongest forces guiding the Pacers. 'One thing I've always done, I always come in on off days. I've been doing that since my second, third year. I'll come in on off days and get some shots or work on my body,' Turner began when assessing the moments he realized how great the Pacers could be. 'When I tell you all the young guys… all the guys that just got traded were in there every single time, that was a first for me. That's when I knew.' Turner, the longest-tenured Pacer by far, trusted that this type of postseason run was possible. That's not just talk – he extended his contract with the blue and gold in early 2023 for similar reasons. And he was not alone in that belief. Many of his teammates walking off the floor Saturday night also felt like this team, a 50-win group that is mostly still young, could win the East and be in the NBA Finals. Pascal Siakam was traded to the Pacers in January of 2024. He could tell right away through his conversations with team leaders that making deep playoff runs was the goal. As he walked off the court in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, gripping the conference finals MVP trophy in his left hand while high-fiving fans with his right, his smirk was as big as ever. Siakam, who was a key member of the 2019 champion Toronto Raptors and knows what a title team feels like, realized the level the Pacers could reach last year during their playoff climb. 'That run we had last year, just to see the way they play the game,' he recalled. He was equally terrific in both postseason runs and has changed the fortune of the Indiana franchise on and off the court. 'I knew we had something special,' Siakam continued. When he was traded from Toronto to Indiana, he felt great about the way his skills would mesh with the high-paced Pacers. As they ascended into a contender, he was proven right, and he made it clear that Haliburton's skills elevate everyone else. Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith reacts after winning Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of ... More the NBA basketball playoffs against the New York Knicks in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Aaron Nesmith had the signature moment of his career in the Knicks series, drilling three pointer after three pointer during a miracle comeback win in Game 1. He's a young wing who shared during the first round that he would die on the court for his team. His passion is unmatched, and when he was traded to the Pacers three years ago he knew it was a special team. That means more coming from Nesmith, who previously played for a Boston Celtics team that reached the NBA Finals in 2022. He'd seen a top-tier roster up close. When he came to Indiana, he felt he was looking at another. 'I thought ever since I got here, we just had a special group,' he said, sitting at his locker after the Game 6 victory. Even when the team was 9-14 to start 2024-25, Nesmith remembered that there was internal belief from the team that they could reach this level. They were right. 'We just get working and get better day after day after day. This is just a combination of everybody's hard work,' Nesmith added. He had a meaningful conversation with President Of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard on the court after the conference finals victory – Pritchard believed in Nesmith back in 2022 and acquired him in a trade that changed the trajectory of the Pacers. In 2022. Nesmith knew the Pacers could be this good. In 2023, Turner did too. Last year, Siakam joined them. These moments throughout the last three years all gave the Pacers belief in themselves. They backed it up with their play. It took them just 16 games to get through the Eastern Conference field and reach the NBA Finals – they have just four losses in the postseason so far and have won in every arena they've played in. No matter the situation, or weather, the Pacers have a chance. And that brings them to their next stage, the biggest one the NBA offers. That's why the Pacers had to manage their emotions on Saturday night. They won a marquee series but still have more to accomplish to reach the heights they ultimately think they can. 'We have a lot more work to do,' Siakam shared. So enter Turner, who in his moment of elation was focused on looking ahead. That's why Carlisle called this the wrong time to pop champagne. Winning a conference is a big deal that should be celebrated – five franchises have never done that. But Haliburton has made it clear for years that the Pacers are thinking bigger. So there was a celebration on Saturday night as the Pacers won the Eastern Conference Finals. But it was brief. And there was champagne in the Pacers locker room after the game, but nobody drank any. In fact, they chose the opposite. 'We poppin' this after we win four more,' forward Obi Toppin said. That's the Pacers new goal, and they have all come to believe it's possible over the years.
