The Indiana Pacers pulled off yet another thrilling comeback to steal Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 to take a 1-0 lead in the championship round.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter but took their first lead of the night with 0.3 seconds left in the game, when guard Tyrese Haliburton hit a pull-up 2-point jumper that proved to be the game winner.
Indiana trailed by nine with 2 minutes and 52 seconds to go before it finished the game on a 12-2 run.
Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while the Thunder wasted a 38-point performance from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“Look, it was just hit the reset button, let’s go whistle to whistle in the third quarter and try to chip away at it and try to hang in,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
For nearly 48 minutes, Oklahoma City looked to be in position to take a 1-0 lead, thanks in large part to its suffocating defense. The Thunder forced 25 turnovers, including 19 in the first half. Their offense wasn’t able to take advantage, however, scoring only 11 points off the takeaways.
Oklahoma City attempted 16 more field goals than the Pacers but converted on only 39.8% of its 98 shots. Gilgeous-Alexander’s big scoring night was marred by inefficiency, as he hit only 14 of his 30 attempts.
Before Haliburton’s game-winner, Gilgeous-Alexander missed his own pull-up 2 that would have given his team a three-point lead.
Indiana survived despite a quiet night from Haliburton before his heroic shot. The Pacers were led in scoring by Pascal Siakam, who finished with 19. Indiana ultimately had a balanced attack, with all five starters and six players overall scoring in double figures.
The Pacers’ 3-point shooting played a massive role in their comeback, as they finished 18-of-39 from deep, a 46.2% clip. Reserve forward Obi Toppin helped swing the game, draining five 3s off the bench.
“This is going to be a long journey and a lot going on, so we’re just going to have to keep our eye on the ball and keep focusing on one another,” Carlisle said.
Game 2 is on Sunday.
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