The world is still buzzing after Tyrese Haliburton detonated another game-winning bomb in the 2025 NBA Playoffs that gave the Indiana Pacers the 1-0 series lead in the NBA Finals. Will the Pacers double up on their lead before flying back to the Hoosier State? Or, will the Thunder level things up with a statement win in Game 2?
Catch this game live on Monday, June 9, 2025 at 8:00 AM, Manila time.
Away: Indiana Pacers (1-0)
Projected Starting Five:
- Tyrese Haliburton
- Andrew Nembhard
- Aaron Nesmith
- Pascal Siakam
- Myles Turner
The Pacers weren’t supposed to win Game 1 until the gods of basketball smiled on Tyrese Haliburton and company again. The seemingly unkillable Pacers stole a win in the series opener against the Thunder in epic fashion, as Haliburton drained a game-winning jumper that gave Indiana the 111-110 victory in Oklahoma City.
Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that Indiana coughed the ball up 25 times and still escaped with a victory. “We didn’t even play well,” Pacers forward Pascal Siakam shared after the win. While OKC’s defense has always been vicious, the Pacers’ bonkers turnover total in Game 1 was probably more of an outlier than a sign of a trend. Expect Indiana to have cleaner possessions and more shot attempts this Monday after getting outshot by 16 by the Thunder last Friday.
Home: Oklahoma City Thunder (0-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Luguentz Dort
- Jalen Williams
- Chet Holmgren
- Isaiah Hartenstein
The Thunder had an epic meltdown in Game 1, but that’s not the end of the world for them either. They know the feeling, having also dropped their opener of their second-round series against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains a big threat after scoring 38 points on 14-for-30 shooting on Friday. At the same time, the Bolts need to provide him ample support, which is also a call for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
Holmgren produced just six points on nine attempts, while Williams needed 19 takes from the floor to come up with 17 points. As a team, the Thunder shot just 36.7 percent from the field and scored just 11 points on Indiana’s 25 turnovers. Those numbers scream of inefficient basketball on offense, but the Thunder could always turn things around. So far in the playoffs, they are scoring 115.4 points per 100 possessions.
Picks
Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder (-11.0)
Over/Under: Over (228.5)
