Player grades: Tyrese Haliburton stuns Thunder in 111-110 Game 1 loss to Pacers

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3 days ago

Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) makes the game winning shot over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the fourth quarter during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
OKLAHOMA CITY — Bringing the ball up, Tyrese Haliburton returned to his comfort spot. As the final seconds ticked away, Indiana's franchise player had the chance to deliver more late-game heroics on the road. He bumped Cason Wallace off him and drained a deep jumper.
Just like that, the home crowd was stunned. Only 0.3 seconds remained. The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a shocking 111-110 Game 1 loss to the Indiana Pacers. They're now at a disadvantage with an early 0-1 series deficit in the 2025 NBA Finals.
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Talk about deja vu. But in the worst ways for the Thunder. To truly digest what happened, let's rewind to the start. You need to do that when you hold for the entire game, sans the final couple of seconds.
To start, everything went the Thunder's way. They scored the first seven points. The OKC crowd provided them with a jolt of energy. It looked eerily similar to what they usually do to run up the scoreboard on their opponent. Then the Pacers fought through it.
The Thunder held a 29-20 lead after the first quarter. They scored 28 points in the second frame to push their halftime advantage to 57-45. Not bad, but it felt like they left meat on the bone. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 19 points at the break, but the rest of his squad struggled to show up. Perhaps from a case of the jitters.
The Thunder flirted with a near plus-20 shot-attempt advantage over the Pacers. That alone should've been enough to get them up by a larger amount. But Indiana hung around. That's what it's done all playoffs. After the break, it was much of the same.
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Gilgeous-Alexander sliced through Indiana's defense, but the Pacers hit timely outside buckets to keep it within striking distance. Indiana scored 31 points in the third quarter as the Thunder's lead was trimmed to 85-76 to enter the fourth frame.
Uneasiness settled into Paycom Center. Everybody's anxiety grew with each missed shot. Jalen Williams had a bit of a burst to start the fourth quarter. After TJ McConnell's bad inbound pass resulted in a Williams' breakaway dunk, the Thunder had a 94-79 lead with a little over nine minutes left.
OK. Deep breath out. The Thunder finally had some space on the scoreboard. Alas, like The Terminator, the Pacers wouldn't give up. It didn't take long for them to cut it within a single-digit deficit. Big-time outside buckets by Myles Turner and Obi Toppin made things interesting.
After Gilgeous-Alexander made it a 108-99 lead with a little under three minutes left, an uneventful final moments should've been enough to secure a Game 1 win. Instead, the Pacers chipped away. Aaron Nesmith made a clutch 3-pointer. Andrew Nembhard soon followed with a nasty step-back 3-pointer after he shook Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Suddenly, the Thunder only had a 108-105 lead with two minutes left. Uh oh. Gulp. You could hear everybody mutter under their breath about what they witnessed. After all, it wasn't even a month ago when the Denver Nuggets committed highway robbery with a Game 1 stunner.
After Nembhard missed an outside attempt, Pascal Siakam's second-chance layup cut the Thunder's lead to 110-109 with 48 seconds left. The Thunder had a few cracks to seal the deal, but a couple of misses left the door wide open for Haliburton to have another signature Game 1 moment. The All-Star took advantage with the drilled game-winner. In the end, Indiana finished the final two minutes on a 12-2 run. It scored 35 points in the final frame.
The Thunder shot 40% from the field and went 11-of-30 (36.7%) from 3. They shot 21-of-24 on free throws. They had 13 assists on 39 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 38 points on 14-of-30 shooting. Williams had 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Lu Dort scored 15 points on five outside makes. Alex Caruso had 11 points and six rebounds.
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Meanwhile, the Pacers shot 48% from the field and went 18-of-39 (46.2%) from 3. They shot 15-of-21 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 39 baskets. Six Pacers players scored double-digit points.
Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Siakam had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Toppin scored 17 points. Turner finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Nembhard tallied 14 points and six assists. Nesmith had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Fans filed out of the arena in shock. Nobody said a word. The only chants you could hear came from the Pacers' traveling party that the franchise brought along. After being considered the heavy favorite, the Thunder have dug themselves into quite a hole.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-minus
Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) during the third quarter during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Doubled by Nembhard and Nesmith, Gilgeous-Alexander could only muster up a turnaround jumper that clanked off the rim in the final seconds. What could've been a signature moment in his NBA Finals debut instead served as a sparkplug for Haliburton's moment.
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Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 38 points on 14-of-30 shooting, five rebounds and three assists. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws. He also had three steals.
Too many moments in the final minutes when the Thunder couldn't shut the door on the Pacers. Gilgeous-Alexander had his miscues despite being the best player on the floor. He had a handful of chances to seal the result but missed on bunnies.
Credit Gilgeous-Alexander for emptying the tank. He left it all on the floor as soon as he realized nobody else besides Dort would join him. But the usually efficient scorer didn't have the butterfly finishes through traffic or go to the free-throw line at the clip we've grown accustomed to. The mid-range jumper wasn't automatic.
Despite that, Gilgeous-Alexander did enough to get a Game 1 win. He dragged his team to a double-digit lead for most of the game, but couldn't put on his Superman cape in the final moments and deliver an important win. The Thunder have been at this spot before and usually respond well. Let's see how they look in Game 2.
Jalen Williams: C
Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after dunking the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Being the first to the ball after a bad inbound pass, Williams ran down the court and had the easy jam. After a forgettable three quarters, a loud start to the fourth frame looked like the All-Star was going to be on the verge of a classic late-game takeover.
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Instead, Williams' mistakes couldn't be erased. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting, six assists and four rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. He also had a steal.
The Thunder need more from Williams. We know this by now. Gilgeous-Alexander will get his numbers, but how the rest of the roster does will decide a lot about this series. When the 24-year-old gets in a groove, it's basketball poetry. When his jumper is off, like it was tonight, annoyance boils over into frustration.
You like the shot process by Williams. He took jumpers that he usually makes. He barreled to the rim on drives he usually finishes. But Indiana did enough to disrupt his rhythm and force close misses. He almost got away with it with a strong start to the fourth quarter, but OKC's collapse brought his inconsistency issues to the forefront.
Chet Holmgren: D
Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) during the second quarter in game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Everything said about Williams can be copied and pasted here for Holmgren. Except you could do that for a couple more times to drive home the point in a theatrical way. The Thunder went with a single center to start. Isaiah Hartenstein was benched in favor of Cason Wallace. By the end, they abandoned that, too. Hard to blame them, either.
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Holmgren finished with six points on 2-of-9 shooting and six rebounds. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had a block.
As the game progresses, you see less of Holmgren. He only logged 24 minutes and played just four minutes of a close fourth quarter. The Pacers' outside shooting pulled the seven-footer outside of the paint. The Thunder had to concede and play mostly small-ball in the final moments.
Questions arose about Hartenstein's playability against the Pacers. Very different circumstances, but he struggled against mostly the same roster on the New York Knicks. Funny how sports can turn out, as he was more effective than Holmgren in Game 1.
The Thunder will need Holmgren to play better. They were killed on the boards by a 56-39 disadvantage. That allowed the Pacers to overcome the shot-attempt difference slowly. The 23-year-old has to play better on both ends or risk being unplayable.
Lu Dort: A
Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) blocks a shot by Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) during the fourth quarter during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Besides Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort was the other positive for the Thunder. His Game 1 will go in vain. The same way Caruso's Game 1 against the Nuggets did with 20 points. A day after he penned a heartfelt Player Tribune letter to the OKC fanbase, he did enough to lock a win.
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Dort finished with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, four rebounds and an assist. He shot 5-of-9 from 3. He also had four steals and two blocks.
As the Thunder's offense dried up, Dort's outside shot gave them much-needed buckets. The defense was special as well. He faded Haliburton into the background for most of the night. Dives for loose balls energized the crowd as they sang his first name.
If the final result reversed, a lot of the postgame talk would be about how he added to his Big Game Lu mythos. Instead, it'll get forever lost as Haliburton's clutch gene was the headliner.
Alex Caruso: B
Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) drives to the basket past Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the second quarter during game one of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The Thunder heavily relied on their three-headed defensive POA monster. Dort, Caruso and Cason Wallace usurped Holmgren and Hartenstein in the hierarchy. It wasn't the preferred result, but the plan worked. Nobody from Indiana exploded for a monster night. Instead, everybody chipped in.
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Caruso finished with 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting, six rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 4-of-5 on free throws. He had three steals and two blocks.
The Thunder's league-best defense showed up through three quarters. They caused havoc. The Pacers were so deep in their own minds because of their ability to create turnovers that they always checked over the shoulder before an elementary entry pass. Then the fourth frame happened.
The Thunder have to shake off the shock. They'll have three days to marinate on this stunner before Game 2. This is what the NBA Finals are about. As the only NBA champion on the roster, Caruso offered some much-needed perspective that his teammates need to hear, which simultaneously probably angered OKC fans.
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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder stunned in 111-110 Game 1 loss to Pacers