Oklahoma City - Tyrese Haliburton picked up the pill and returned to his comfort zone. With the last few seconds of blow, Indiana franchisees have the opportunity to offer more game heroes on the go. He knocked Cason Wallace off him and ran out of a deep jump shot.
In this way, the family crowd was stunned. Only 0.3 seconds left. The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Indiana Pacers with a 111-110 shock. They are now at a disadvantage in the 0-1 series deficit in the 2025 NBA Finals.
Talk about deja vu. But in the worst direction. To really digest what happened, let's rewind to start. You need to do this when you keep it throughout the game and the last few seconds.
First, everything is gone. They scored the first seven points. The OKC crowd provided them with vibrating energy. It looks very similar to what they usually do on the scoreboard on their opponents. Then the walkers fought through it.
The Thunder led 29-20 after the first quarter. They scored 28 points in the second frame, increasing the half-time advantage to 57-45. Not bad, but it feels like they leave their flesh on the bones. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 points on the break, but the rest of the team struggled to show up. Maybe it's from the troublesome situation.
The Thunder flirted with nearly 20 shots over the Pacers. This alone is enough to add more to them. But Indiana hangs out. That's all the playoffs work. After resting, the situation was very big.
Gilgeous-Alexander cut a piece in Indiana's defense, but the Pacers hit the outside of the barrel in time to get it within a staggering distance. Indiana scored 31 points in the third quarter as the Thunders' lead was trimmed to 85-76, entering the fourth frame.
Restless settled in Paycom Center. Shots that everyone misses will increase anxiety. Jalen Williams began the fourth quarter burst. The Thunder led 94-79 with more than nine minutes left after TJ McConnell's poor inbound pass led to Williams' trip dunk.
OK Take a deep breath. Thunder finally had some room on the scoreboard. l Like the Terminator, the Walker will not give up. They quickly cut it into unit deficits. The large exterior buckets from Myles Turner and Obi Toppin make things interesting.
After less than three minutes of lead left with Gilgeous-Alexander leading 108-99, the final moment should be enough to secure a first game victory. Instead, the walkers tore open. Aaron Nesmith made a clutch with 3 points. Andrew Nembhard quickly ended a nasty ladder 3-pointer after shaking Gilgeous-Alexander.
Suddenly, the Thunder led 108-105 with only two minutes left. oh oh. gYou hear everyone muttering in their breath and everything they witness. After all, not even a month ago, the Denver Nuggets had a highway robbery with 1 hitter.
Pascal Siakam's second layup reduced the Thunder's lead to 110-109 after Nembhard missed an external attempt with 48 seconds left. The Thunder had some cracks to make the deal, but a few mistakes allowed Halliburton to open the door and another iconic game moment. The All-Star Game uses drilling competition winners. Finally, Indiana completed the last two minutes with a 12-2 mark. It scored 35 points in the last frame.
The Thunder shot 40% from the field and shot 30 points (36.7%). Their free throw percentage is 24. They had 13 assists on 39 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points on 14 from 30 shots. Williams scored 17 points on 6 of 19 shots. Lu Dort scored 15 points on five external money making. Alex Caruso scored 11 points and 6 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Pacers shot 48% from the field and 39 innings (46.2%). Their free throw percentage is 15. They had 24 assists on 39 baskets. Six Pacers players scored double-digit points.
Halliburton scored 14 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Siakam scored 19 points and 10 rebounds. Toppin scored 17 points. Turner ended with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Nimbad scored 14 points and 6 assists. Nesmith scored 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Fans made a declaration to the arena in shock. No one said a word. The only idea you can hear comes from the travel parties of the walkers, which is what the franchise brings. After being considered a heavy favorite, the Thunder dug a hole.
Let's take a look at the results of the Thunder players:
Nembhard and Nesmith doubled, and Gilgeous-Alexander could only call a turnaround jumper, bent the edges in the last few seconds. In his NBA Finals debut, it could have been the spark plug for Halliburton's moment.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points on 14 shots, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. He hit 3 from 3 and scored 7 from 8 free throws. He also stole three steals.
In the last few minutes, the thunder could not close the walker's door. Despite being the best player on the floor, Gilgeous-Alexander made a mistake. He had very few chances to seal the result, but missed the rabbit.
Credit Gilgeous-Alexander cleared the tank. When he realized that no one except Dort would join him, he left everything on the floor. However, usually effective scorers don’t finish the butterfly’s finish through traffic, nor do they get into the free throw line of edited cuts we’re already used to. Mid-range jumpers are not automatic.
Nevertheless, Gilgeous-Alexander did enough to win the first game. He dragged the team to a double-digit lead for much of the game, but was unable to wear his Superman cape and scored a major victory in the last moments. Thunder had been in this place before and usually responded well. Let's see how they look in Game 2.
Williams was the first person to get into the ball after a bad inbound pass, ran to the court and relaxed jam. After three quarters of incredible forgetting, the big start of the fourth frame looks like the All-Stars will be on the verge of taking over the classic late game.
Instead, Williams's mistake could not be eliminated. He scored 17 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds on 6 of 19 shots. He shot 4 from 3 and 4 free throws. He stole it, too.
Thunder still needs Williams. We know this now. Gilgeous-Alexander will get his numbers, but how the rest of the roster will determine the series. It's a basketball poem when the 24-year-old enters the groove. As his jumper kept falling down, like tonight, the worries fell into frustration.
You like Williams’ shooting process. He took the usual jumper. He usually barrels on the drive to the rim. But Indiana is enough to ruin his rhythm and force close-up miss. In the fourth quarter, he almost escaped it, but OKC's collapse puts his inconsistency issues at the forefront.
Everything about Williams can be copied and pasted to Homegren here. Except you can do this a few more times and bring the point home in a dramatic way. Thunder begins with a single center. Isaiah Hartenstein was replaced by a substitute in favor of Cason Wallace. In the end, they gave up. It's hard to blame them, too.
Holmgren scored 6 points and 6 rebounds in 2 of 9 shots. He shot 0 from 3 and lost 2 free throws. He also has a barrier.
As the game progresses, you'll see Holmgren. He recorded only 24 minutes, second only to the fourth quarter. Exterior shot of the walker pulls the seven-foot shot outside the paint. The Thunder had to admit it at the last minute and most of the ball.
Questions were raised about Hartenstein’s playability for the walkers. The situation is very different, but he struggles with most of the New York Knicks roster. Interestingly, sports can show up because he is more effective than Holmegren in Game 1.
Thunder will require Holmgren to perform better. They were killed on the board by a 56-39 disadvantage. This allows pacemakers to slowly overcome the difference in shooting. The 23-year-old has to be better on both ends or it may not be possible to play.
Dort is another front for the Thunder, besides Gilgeous-Alexander. His first game will be in vain. Caruso's first game against the Nuggets was the same way, with 20 points. The day after he wrote a heartfelt player forum letter to the OKC fan base, he did enough to lock in the victory.
Dort scored 15 points, 4 rebounds and an assist on 5 of 10 shots. He shot 5 from 3. He also had 4 steals and two blocks.
As the Thunder's offense dried up, Dortmund's outside shot gave them a much-needed bucket. The defense is special, too. He spent most of the night fading Halliburton into the background. When singing to the crowd, dive for the scattered balls, which energizes them.
If the end result is reversed, many of the post-match talks will be about how he adds to his big game. Instead, since Halliburton's clutch gene is headlines, it will be lost forever.
The Thunder rely heavily on their three-headed defensive POA monsters. Dort, Caruso and Cason Wallace usurped Holmgren and Hartenstein in the hierarchy. This is not the preferred result, but the plan works. No one from Indiana exploded a monster night. Instead, everyone came in.
Caruso scored 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists on 8 shooting percentages. He shot 1 from 3, 4 free throws and 4 free throws. He had 3 steals and two blocks.
The Thunder's best defense comes in three quarters. They caused damage. Pacers are so deeply in their minds because they have the ability to create mistakes that they always check their shoulders before they basically enter the pass. Then the fourth frame occurs.
Thunder had to get rid of the shock. They will be pickled on the shocker for three days before Game 2. This is the purpose of the NBA finals. As the only NBA champion on the roster, Caruso offers some much-needed perspectives that his teammates need to hear, which may also anger OKC fans.