Pacers vs. Thunder Game 1 Showdown: Which Underdog Will Shock the NBA on June 5?

June 5 is circled on every basketball fan’s calendar as the Indiana Pacers (50-32) trek to the heart of Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center to kick off Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the powerhouse Thunder (68-14). What a journey these Pacers have had — outlasting fierce rivals like Milwaukee and Cleveland in five-game wars before clinching a memorable series against the Knicks in six, reminding many of that unforgettable Mavericks run back in 2011. Meanwhile, the Thunder have been the frontrunners all season, steamrolling through much of the playoffs with just a little sweat from a tough seven-game battle against Denver. Oklahoma City already holds the bragging rights this season, having bested Indiana twice, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lighting up the scoreboard despite Chet Holmgren’s absence. If you’re hungry for the nitty-gritty on tipoff times, player insights, odds, and expert predictions — we’ve got you covered every step of the way. LEARN MORE

The Indiana Pacers capped off its magical run with a 4-2 series win over the Knicks at home, giving NBA fans one of the most memorable runs since the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Indiana beat both Milwaukee and Cleveland in five games apiece before finishing the Knicks off in six.On Thursday, June 5, the Indiana Pacers (50-32) and Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) are all set to square off from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.That gives the Pacers an implied team point total of 110.5, and the Thunder 120.5.If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!Oklahoma City won both meetings versus Indiana this season by 6 and 21 points (120-114, 132-111). Chet Holmgren did not play in either meeting this season and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 and 45 points on the Pacers with 8 assists and 7 rebounds in each game.

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Game details & how to watch Pacers vs. Thunder live today

• Date: Thursday, June 5, 2025
• Time: 8:30PM EST
• Site: Paycom Center
• City: Oklahoma City, OK
• Network/Streaming: ESPN / ABC

“Tyrese Haliburton obviously seems like the right choice, but in comparison, the odds say Haliburton is more likely to lead the series in assists than SGA is to win MVP — I do not agree with that whatsoever.

Game odds for Pacers vs. Thunder

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

• Odds: Pacers (+320), Thunder (-410)
• Spread: Thunder -9
• Over/Under: 230.5 points

The latest odds as of Thursday:
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Expert picks & predictions for Thursday’s Pacers vs. Thunder game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) likes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over 12.5 assists and rebounds (-115):

– Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
– Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
– Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
– Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes a sprinkle on SGA (+500) and Jalen Williams (+6600) to lead the series in assists:

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.Both SGA and Williams averaged about 5 and 7 assists per game over the postseason with double-digit potential assists per game. There is a strong potential for double-double or even triple-double opportunities for both OKC stars.”“This might be a line that goes unnoticed in the first few games of the series. When you think about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it’s generally how great and effective of a scorer he is. However, SGA grabs boards and when help comes, he’s a fantastic facilitator.On the other hand, the Thunder were the favorite to win the NBA Finals for months and are four wins away from accomplishing this rare feat after sliding by the Timberwolves in five games. Denver did give OKC a run with a seven-game series after the 4-0 sweep in the first round, but that’s the only sweat the Thunder have endured lately.If Haliburton has two games with 5, 6 assists, or less, like he did in one of two regular season meetings, then this race will be much closer than the odds indicate, so I would sprinkle Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams in this market.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Pacers & Thunder game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Indiana Pacers at +9
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 230.5

SGA has gone over this number in both meetings the two teams played against each other this season. He also went over in three of the five games in the Western Conference Finals. Sprinkle the double double as well.”

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Pacers vs. Thunder on Thursday

• Oklahoma City is 2-1 on the ML and ATS in Game 1’s this postseason
• Indiana is 3-0 on the ML and ATS in Game 1’s this postseason
• Oklahoma City is 8-1 on the ML at home this postseason, while Indiana is 6-2 on the ML as the road team
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the Western Conference Finals MVP with 31.4 PPG, 8.2 APG, and 5.2 APG
• Pascal Siakam won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP with 24.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 3.5 APG

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.