The Great Reversal! Haliburton staged a stunner, Alexander scored 38 points, the Thunder lost to the Pacers, and the score was 0-1

On June 6, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA Finals officially started today, with the Thunder playing at home against the Pacers. After falling behind by 15 points at one point, with Haliburton's stunner, the Pacers finally reversed the Thunder 111-110 and won G1 in the finals, leading the Thunder 1-0. In addition, the Pacers had 24 turnovers as a team, the most since 2000 (23 for the Celtics in 2022 and Spurs in 2014), and the NBA Finals record for 36 turnovers in 1975.

Statistics

Pacers: Haliburton 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, Nesmith 10 points and 12 rebounds, Siakam 19 points and 10 rebounds, Turner 15 points and nine rebounds, Toppin 17 points, Nembhard 14 points

Thunder: Alexander 38 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, Dort 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals, Jalen Williams 17 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Caruso 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks

Background

In the 2024-25 season, the Pacers and Thunder, two typical small-market teams, met in the Finals. The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season but were swept by the Celtics, and this season they are not favored to reach the Finals, and the last time the team reached the NBA Finals was in the 1999-2000 season. The Thunder finished the regular season with a 68-14 record and a record-breaking goal difference. Heading into the playoffs, the Thunder have a defensive efficiency of 104.7, which ranks first among any team in the playoffs, while the Pacers have shown strong offensive firepower, with an offensive efficiency of 117.7 in 16 playoff games, higher than the Thunder's 115.9. The two sides have met twice in the regular season this season, and the Thunder have won both times.

Game recap

After the opening, the Thunder had the upper hand in both defensive pressing and offensive aggression, winning a 7-0 start. Siakam scored two straight goals to direct a 10-3 spurt to help the Pacers tie the score at 10 and stop the Thunder. The game restarted, Alexander scored three goals, Caruso also hit a three-pointer, and the Thunder responded with an 18-7 offensive wave. Toppin's three-pointer helped the Pacers stabilize their morale, but they still trailed the Thunder 20-29 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, after three consecutive three-pointers hit the net, the Pacers narrowed the gap to six points. The Thunder didn't show weakness, and Dort hit three three-pointers in a row to help the team rewrite the score to 50-37. At critical moments, McConnell and Nesmith completed the offense from the outside, and the Pacers once again narrowed the gap to single digits. But Alexander personally dominated the team's last two offenses of the quarter. At halftime, the Thunder led the Pacers 57-45. In addition, the Thunder made 11 steals in the half, the most in a Finals half since 1998, and caused the Pacers to commit 18 turnovers.

In the second half, the Pacers still couldn't solve the turnover, and the Thunder became more and more courageous on the offensive end, Dort hit two three-pointers in 22 seconds, and the Thunder rewrote the score to 73-60. The Pacers did not give up, and the inside and outside teamed up to narrow the gap to six points again. But the Thunder relied on Alexander's three-pointer at 0.7 seconds to take an 85-76 lead over the Pacers at the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, the Thunder extended their advantage to 15 points after a 9-3 offensive wave. Nembhard made it 2+1, and Toppin and Turner combined for four three-pointers to put the Pacers up to 94-98. Alexander immediately came on the court when he saw the situation, and when he came up, he stood at the free throw line to help the Thunder stabilize their position. Haliburton hit a layup, but Alexander returned the favor in the same way. At 49 seconds, the Pacers narrowed the gap to one point, but at 22.8 seconds, Siakam made a mistake. Alexander's shot was unsuccessful, and Haliburton completed a jumper, and finally the Pacers won the Finals G1.

Starting line-ups for both sides

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard

Thunder: Shay Gilgeous Alexander, Lygents Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Kayson Wallace