Ranking the Three Best Matchups in Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals

The NBA Finals are just days out from beginning and the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are set up for an intriguing matchup. There are plenty of interesting player matchups that are also set up within the series, ones that will likely dictate who walks away with a championship.

Both players have stars that will need to step up, as well as key role players that will fill in the cracks. Winning each individual matchup is one of many keys to winning and that is certainly the case here.

Below are the three most intruiging matchups for the upcoming finals.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Tyrese Haliburton

This one is pretty obvious. These are the two stars that are set to shine during this series, both of whom have had impressive playoff runs so far. Gilgeous-Alexander earned the Most Valuable Player award in the midst of his playoff run, while Haliburton has created some iconic playoff moments with multiple clutch plays.

The two might not defend each other, but that shouldn't take away from the significance of the matchup. That being said, the two have similar size profiles, so it may make sense for the matchup to go both ways.

Haliburton's playmaking ability presents as a potential weak spot when it comes to Gilgeous-Alexander on defense. The flip side of that is Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring ability, a skill that nobody has seemed to be able to shut down. There are skills from players on both sides that would make the matchup intriguing on offense and defense.

2. Chet Holmgren vs. Pascal Siakam

The MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals has stepped up in more ways than one for the Pacers, proving himself as a legitimate first scoring option for a contending team. There were games where it felt like Siakam was unstoppable, like Game 2, where he went for 39 points. This will make Holmgren's job on defense much more of a challenge.

Siakam is also a great defender, so Holmgren's life might be hard both ways. His reach and shot-blocking ability will be his one advantage, however and he will have to come alive to shut down Siakam. The Thunder will be able to find scoring from other players if Holmgren is locked down, but his job on defense will be the most important.

At this point, it doesn't seem like Siakam is a player who can truly be contained. If anyone can limit him, thought, it might be Holmgren. He will have arguably the most important defensive task during the NBA Finals, one that could make or break the series.

3. Thunder wings vs. Pacers wings

This is pretty broad, but the three main contributing wings for both teams will have to do plenty to make sure their opponent doesn't give their team too much of an advantage. Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Lu Dort are going to be the three that matter the most for OKC, while Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin will be for Indiana.

Everyone knows that Caruso, Dort and Williams can pick up just about any defensive assignment that is thrown their way, but Williams taking on Nesmith and Caruso taking Nembhard makes the most sense. In the starting lineup, it might be Dort who picks up Nembhard to start, but these things obviously change at a high frequency.

Nesmith proved to be huge in the Eastern Conference Finals, while Nembhard has a knack for stepping up in big games. Both are capable of hitting big shots in big moments, with proof of it already happening throughout the 2025 playoffs. Nesmith is also a great two-way defender, making whoever he guards a tough matchup automatically.

So far, it's been these wing players that have contributed the most to winning without it appearing on the stat sheet. Gaining advantages, whether on offense or defense, will likely be spearheaded by these players. Whichever team steps up the most might have the best chance at coming out on top in the finals.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off at 7:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, June 5. The Thunder get the first two games of the series on their home court, a likely advantage to start things off.