2025 NBA Finals: Biggest takeaways from Thunder-Pacers Game 1 - ESPN

For the first 47 minutes, 40 seconds of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander thoroughly outplayed Tyrese Haliburton in a matchup of star point guards.

But as Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after Indiana's remarkable comeback to beat the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals: It's a 48-minute game. And, in those final 20 seconds Thursday night, Haliburton and the Pacers changed the narrative… again.

First, it was Gilgeous-Alexander — who had 38 points but was 14-for-30 shooting — missing a clean midrange jumper, his specialty, that would've given the Thunder a three-point lead with 10 seconds left. And then, it was Haliburton again playing the role of road spoiler, hitting a circus shot that might not have been quite as spectacular as his high-bouncing miracle at Madison Square Garden on May 21. But, unlike that shot, this shot won the game for the Pacers in regulation.

Game 1: Pacers 111, Thunder 110

• How Indy, Haliburton stole a win
Game 2: at Thunder, Sunday, 8 p.m.
Game 3: at Pacers, Wed., June 11, 8:30 p.m.
Game 4: at Pacers, Fri., June 13, 8:30 p.m.
Game 5*: at Thunder, Mon., June 16, 8:30 p.m.
Game 6*: at Pacers, Thu., June 19, 8:30 p.m.
Game 7*: at Thunder, Sun. June 22, 8 p.m.

* If necessary | All times Eastern

• More NBA playoffs: Schedule, scores

As a result, Indiana — which never led until Haliburton's shot from just inside the 3-point arc dropped through with 0.3 seconds left — somehow left the Paycom Center with a 111-110 victory over the heavily favored Thunder, and injected a massive amount of life into this series.

For much of Game 1, the Thunder were dictating the terms of engagement. They forced Indiana — typically great at taking care of the ball — into a team that was