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Thunder vs Pacers: Five Takeaways from NBA Finals Game 1

The Indiana Pacers’ comeback moments lived up to the hype in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and so did the Oklahoma City Thunder’s generational defense. In this “Clash of the Titans”, only one team will come out on top. The Thunder vs Pacers series has kicked off well, and there are a lot of key takeaways for both teams heading into the rest of the NBA Finals.

Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) looks to move the ball past 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

In a game of storied performances from both teams, the Thunder vs Pacers showdown is shaping to be one of the best high-octane showdowns to remember in NBA Finals history. For what it’s worth, this is indeed the intense, competitive, fast-paced basketball that everyone has been looking to see for a long while.

Thunder vs Pacers: Five Takeaways from NBA Finals Game 1

With Indiana now just three wins away from a title, both teams are heading back to the drawing board to make the best adjustments heading into Game 2.

  1. The Pacers Won the Game of Runs

For most of the game, it looked like the Thunder was going to explode for a series of scoring avalanches that we have seen throughout the playoffs. But every time that Oklahoma City went on a scoring rally, Indiana always clapped back. That was the story of the game, and it kept them alive in the flurry of scoring runs that the Thunder hurled at them.

If you watched the game, OKC could not stay up by more than 10 points. Every time they did, the Pacers were quick to negate that scoring deficit with an answer of their own. At the end of all it, it was a crushing Tyrese Haliburton shot that served as the killing blow to the Thunder.

Well, Indiana certainly has its way of putting up impressive performances when it matters most. The Eastern Conference Champions held onto its identity of sticking around for the duration of the game before finally striking fast and taking advantage of a fatigued, dazzled, and somewhat panicking OKC squad.

  1. Pace Meets Pace


Oklahoma City has not faced a team of Indiana’s caliber – having a lot of scoring options regardless of who’s on the court. The Thunder have dominated teams in the playoffs, but none of them had the tools to go head-to-head with the Thunder’s arsenal of gritty and speedy players.

So when the Pacers came in, the Thunder were in for a challenge. Pace was met with pace, grit was met with grit. For Indiana’s case, they have faced a similarly-built team in the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they dismantled them in five games.

The difference is this: OKC is known well to drown out its opponents with sets of scoring barrages. That would give them a comfortable lead either to start the second half or in the fourth quarter. Indiana, however, was built to endure as we have seen in these playoffs. The Pacers were able to hang around and keep it a game and delivered a killing blow when it mattered.

  1. Shai Must Distribute More

Haliburton doesn’t need to score 30 points a night to help Indiana win. He could just sit with 15 points and around 10 assists, and the Pacers could still claim a victory. OKC’s case is different. The beautiful construction of this team sees Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominating the floor with his brilliance. Yes, he dropped the third-most points in a Finals debut with a 38-piece. But did they win?

Oklahoma City takes pride in promising ball movement, and this is definitely something to look at. The Pacers had 24 assists to the Thunder’s 13, which is quite alarming for a team that shares the ball well. One big reason why OKC managed to win against Denver is that SGA has emerged as a playmaker.

For him to finish with just three assists in Game 1 is not a good sign. The 2024-25 MVP can score all he wants. But if he cannot find ways to distribute the ball and get them involved, then this series would be over by the time it moves to Indiana.

  1. Backup Stars In Focus

We have seen multiple discussions as to why the Pacers are a perfect match against the Thunder. One of the big reasons why is because both teams boast amazing depth. In Game 1, it was Indiana’s supporting cast that showed up to help them steal one in Oklahoma City. They won the battle of the bench with 39-28 in bench points.

So what’s next? The players who are set to support the stars. Pascal Siakam was a huge boon for the Pacers, and so was Myles Turner in stabilizing the game with timely threes. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, on the other end, went 8-for-28 from the field in the loss.

While the stars were firing, it’s the rest of the teams that matters most in this Thunder vs Pacers showdown. The big three of Oklahoma City has proven to be the backbone of the team that carries them to success. Not in this game, not when they had an underwhelming performance save for SGA.

  1. Negating The Turnovers

For most of the postseason, we have seen how OKC make teams pay with their own mistakes. That wasn’t the case for this game, even with Indiana having a playoff-high 24 turnovers. Oklahoma City failed to capitalize on this advantage, having only 11 points off turnovers.


Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle did a great job of allowing his team to settle in. They held on, and they struck when the Thunder could not extend the lead. Even if it looked like OKC had full control of the game, it looked the other way around. The Pacers just allowed Oklahoma City to taste a bit of a big lead, before stealing it away from them.

What to Expect in Game 2?

With a few days’ worth of break between games, fans can expect a lot of adjustments from both teams. Indiana has already stolen one on the road, and OKC is definitely going to respond big-time. But of course, this is the NBA Finals, and predicting how things will turn out is never easy.

One thing is for sure, neither team is going to let each other have the last word before the series shifts to the East Coast. That’s why we are definitely in for a grueling battle heading into the next game.

Photo credit: © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

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