Where to watch NBA Finals: Live stream Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers Game 3
The NBA Finals head to Indianapolis for Game 3 of the epic Thunder vs. Pacers match-up. We've compiled everything you need to know about where to watch the NBA Finals, including the best streaming services that will allow you to watch every game of the series.
The series is tied 1-1 following the first two games in Oklahoma City. The No. 4 Pacers narrowly won Game 1 with a 111-110 final score, thanks in no small part to a buzzer-beater from Tyrese Haliburton. But the No. 1 Thunder fought their way back in Game 1, dominating the first half and keeping a solid lead in the second to finish with a 123-107 victory.
Both teams are vying for their first-ever Championship under their current name (the OKC franchise initially launched as the Seattle SuperSonics and won the 1979 title). The Thunder made it to the Finals in 2012, where they fell to the Miami Heat, but it's been 25 years since the Pacers have made it past the Conference Finals.
If you don't want to read any further: the cheapest way to live stream the 2025 NBA Finals without a free trial is through Sling TV. The series won't be available on ESPN Plus, so this is your best bet. We'll break down everything you need to know about the service below and recommend some other popular sports streamers.
What channel are the NBA Finals on?
Game 3 will air on ABC in the US. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET, but the network's NBA Countdown Coverage will begin at 8. All games in the 2025 NBA Finals will air on ABC, so once you find a viewing option that works, you'll be all set for the rest of the series.
Where to watch NBA Finals in the US
As we mentioned above, the absolute cheapest way for US cord-cutters to live stream the NBA Finals without a free trial is through Sling TV, since ESPN Plus won't be carrying the series. Sling costs $46/month, but new customers can get 50% off their first month of service. That means you can watch every game of the NBA Finals (even if the series makes it to Game 7) for $23. Sling is a month-to-month cable alternative, which means that you can cancel at any time.
You'll want to sign up for Sling's Orange plan, which carries ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT, and 30 other popular live channels. ESPN3 live streams NBA on ABC games, so you'll be able to watch the Finals here. This is how I personally watched the Game 5 Championship win in 2024, and I've double-checked the Sling TV guide this year to confirm that Game 3 will live stream on ESPN3 tonight.
While Sling doesn't have a free trial for new customers, other live TV streaming services that offer a free trial have significantly higher monthly fees, but they also come with even more channel options. Two of the best live TV streaming services that we've tried ourselves are DirecTV and Fubo. DirecTV 's signature Entertainment plan costs $85/month, offers access to 90+ channels, and comes with a five-day free trial for new customers. Fubo 's Pro plan starts at $85/month, comes with at least 150 live channels, and offers a seven-day free trial for new users. Plus, new Fubo users can get $20 knocked off their first month of service.
How to watch NBA Finals from anywhere
NBA fans traveling outside the US can still keep up with their usual viewing methods with the help of a VPN, or virtual private network. VPNs are easy-to-use cybersecurity tools that enable people to change the virtual location of their devices. This way, they don't need to miss out on any games just because they're away from home. VPNs are popular ways to improve online security and privacy. The services we've highlighted today require US payment methods, so this option will work best for Americans who are just abroad at the moment.
ExpressVPN consistently ranks among the best VPNs on the market. It's a top-rated, user-friendly option with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can learn more about the app and its extensive cybersecurity features in our ExpressVPN review.
Use a VPN to watch these events & shows free:
All the items below have a free streaming option that can be unlocked from anywhere with a VPN. Set it to the corresponding country, and you're all set.
MotoGP - various
Love Island - various
The Traitors - various
Walking Dead: Dead City - New Zealand
Poker Face - New Zealand
Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.
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USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander downplays any fatigue concerns after Game 3 loss to Pacers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander downplays any fatigue concerns after Game 3 loss to Pacers Putting his hands on his knees, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked tired out in the final minutes of the Oklahoma City Thunder's 116-107 Game 3 loss to the Indiana Pacers. If you zoomed in enough, you could see the Gatorade symbol underneath his sneakers. A lot has been made about the Pacers' rapid pace. They've outrun teams in the gym. That's been a key component to their improbable 2-1 series lead in the 2025 NBA Finals. Two wins away from an all-time upset, they have the entire NBA world puzzled. Even with two days off, Gilgeous-Alexander was on fumes. The Pacers smelled blood in the water. They won the fourth quarter with a 32-18 score to mount a late comeback. They've won all three fourth quarters through three games of this championship series. That's been highlighted with Tyrese Haliburton's Game 1 game-winner. Never playing professional basketball this deep in the summer, Gilgeous-Alexander refuses ot use fatigue as an excuse for his forgettable 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting performance. He understands he must be better in Game 4, which is the biggest game of the Thunder's current window. "Yeah, you got to suck it up. There's a maximum four games left in the season. It's what you worked the whole season for. It's what you worked all summer for," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "To me, the way I see it, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win." The Thunder will go as far as Gilgeous-Alexander carries them. He was unstoppable through the first two games of the series. But Game 3 was the first time the Pacers drew blood from the MVP winner. Andrew Nembhard helped slow him down with a pedestrian outing. Gilgeous-Alexander has to battle through any signs of fatigue with just one day between Games 3 and 4. The Thunder enter a do-or-die scenario that could determine how this championship series shakes out.
27 minutes ago
Pacers aren't celebrating, Thunder aren't panicking as sides reset for Game 4 of the NBA Finals
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers aren't celebrating. The Oklahoma City Thunder aren't panicking. The NBA Finals scoreboard is what it is — Pacers 2, Thunder 1 — going into Game 4 of the best-of-seven title series on Friday night. Everybody can count to four, and everybody can see that Indiana is in a better position right now than Oklahoma City, But the Pacers know if they were to partake in such thinking, that would be dangerous. 'There's nothing to get excited about right now,' Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton said. 'We're still a long way away.' An even-keeled approach, for certain. The Thunder are going about business the same way. 'I just think we stay pretty emotionally even in all of the different experiences,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'You really see that when we win. I think if you're going to get high on the wins, then the natural opposite of that is to get low on the losses. This team doesn't really swing violently between those two things. Never has.' Indiana grabbed control of the series on Wednesday night in a 116-107 win, a game in which the Pacers' bench — led by Bennedict Mathurin's 27 points in 22 minutes and T.J. McConnell's 10 points, five assists and five steals in 15 minutes — outscored Oklahoma City's reserves 49-18. The Thunder starters were more than fine in Game 3: Oklahoma City opened the game with a 15-6 run, then started the third quarter — with the starters all on the floor — with an 8-0 burst. Add up those 7 minutes of play, and it was Thunder 23, Pacers 6. Add up the other 41 minutes of the game, and it was Pacers 110, Thunder 84. 'It's got to be a killer edge to beat these guys," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'We're going to be an underdog in every game in this series. ... It's a daunting challenge. Anything less than a total grit mindset, we just don't have a chance.' If Oklahoma City finds a way Friday, it goes home with a 2-2 series tie and two of the final three games of the series set to be played in its building. A loss, and it's 3-1 — the sort of hole that few teams in NBA history have escaped. 'I think just the competitive greatness for this team has to be at an all-time high,' Thunder guard Alex Caruso said. 'To be able to go on the road and win a game is a difficult thing in the playoffs, but especially staring 3-1 down in the face. You got to really get your mind right and get ready for the preparation that it's going to take to go out there and compete for 48 minutes and get the win.' Myles Turner, who had five blocks for Indiana in Game 3, including two against Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren with about 2 minutes left — first a 3-pointer and then a 6-footer on the same possession — is dealing with an illness. Turner was with the Pacers for film on Thursday and then was sent home. It seems like Indiana expect that he will play in Game 4. Indiana hasn't lost back-to-back games in three months. Oklahoma City hasn't done so in two months. The Thunder are 6-0 after losses since early April, 5-0 after losses in these playoffs. 'There's a maximum four games left in the season,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'It's what you worked the whole season for. It's what you worked all summer for. To me, the way I see it, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win.' In five games against Oklahoma City this season, Haliburton has been fouled in the act of shooting just once — in the first half of a Thunder-Pacers game on March 29. He has not taken a free throw in this series. He's the first player to log at least 109 minutes in the first three games of a finals and not take a single free throw since Miami's Mario Chalmers in 2012 — also against the Thunder. In this current 16-team playoff format that dates back to 1984, Indiana is the sixth team to have a 2-1 lead in all four of its postseason series. The others were the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2020, Boston in 2008, Detroit in 2004 and San Antonio in 2003. All five of those teams went on to win the NBA title. 'We got great leaders on this team, the coaches and players who keep us on track with everything. We're comfortable in close games. At the end of games, as well. We just trust our work, trust we got to get the ball into our guards' hands and they're going to make good plays.' — Pacers forward Obi Toppin.
Boston Globe
28 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
The Thunder are in familiar territory in NBA Finals, trailing in the best-of-seven series after Game 3
'I thought it was an uncharacteristic night in a lot of ways for us,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'We got to learn from it and then tap back into being who we are in Game 4. If we do that, I think we'll have a much better chance to win.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It was not very Thunder-like in Game 3. They blew a fourth quarter lead for the second time in the series, gave up 21 points off turnovers and let the Pacers' bench run wild — outscoring the OKC reserves 49-18. Advertisement 'We'll watch it. It wasn't all bad,' Daigneault said. 'But we definitely have to play our style and impose our will for more of the 48 minutes if we want to come on the road and get a win.' There are uncanny similarities between the first three games of this series and the first three games of the Western Conference semifinal matchup between Oklahoma City and Denver. Advertisement ▪ In Game 1 of the West semifinals, Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with about 3 seconds left to give the Nuggets a win in Oklahoma City. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Tyrese Haliburton hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a win in Oklahoma City. ▪ In Game 2 of the West semifinals, the Thunder evened things up with an easy win. In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Thunder evened things up with an easy win. ▪ In Game 3 of the West semifinals, Denver — at home for the first time in that series — played from behind most of the night before fighting into overtime and eventually getting a win for a 2-1 series lead. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Indiana — at home for the first time in the series — trailed for much of the first half before eventually getting a win for a 2-1 series lead. The Thunder dug their way out of that hole against the Nuggets. And now, the same task awaits — with an NBA title at stake. 'I wouldn't say that now is the time for emotions, to be thinking about how you're feeling, emotional this, emotional that,' said Thunder forward Chet Holmgren . 'You kind of have to cut that out and look at the substance of what it is. We have a great opportunity here and the great thing is we have another game coming up, Game 4.' Indiana hasn't lost back-to-back games in three months. Oklahoma City hasn't done so in two months. The Thunder are 6-0 after losses since early April, 5-0 after losses in these playoffs. Advertisement 'There's a maximum four games left in the season,' said Shea Gilgeous-Alexander . 'It's what you worked the whole season for. It's what you worked all summer for. To me, the way I see it, you got to suck it up, get it done and try to get a win.' Turner update Pacers center Myles Turner , who had five blocks for Indiana in Game 3, including two against Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren with about 2 minutes left — first on a 3-pointer and then on a 6-footer on the same possession — is dealing with an illness. Turner was with the Pacers for film on Thursday and then was sent home. It seems Indiana is expecting he will play in Game 4. Haliburton's free throws In five games against Oklahoma City this season, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has been fouled in the act of shooting just once — in the first half of a Thunder-Pacers game on March 29. He has not taken a free throw in this series. He's the first player to log at least 109 minutes in the first three games of a finals and not take a single free throw since Miami's Mario Chalmers in 2012 — also against the Thunder. In the lead again In this current 16-team playoff format that dates back to 1984, Indiana is the sixth team to have a 2-1 lead in all four of its postseason series. The others were the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2020, Boston in 2008, Detroit in 2004 and San Antonio in 2003. All five of those teams went on to win the NBA title.
