'We Never Think the Game Is Over': Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers Stun OKC Thunder in NBA Finals Game 1

The Thunder came out fast on their home court, racing to a 7-0 lead and forcing nine first-quarter turnovers from the Pacers. Indiana trailed 29-20 after one and committed a staggering 20 first-half turnovers — the most it had committed in any half this season.

Yet despite the sloppiness, the Pacers remained within striking distance, trailing by just 12 at halftime thanks to limiting Oklahoma City to 37 percent shooting.

“First half was rough. Nineteen turnovers,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “The good thing was it was only nine points.”

Indiana began to settle in late in the third quarter. Bennedict Mathurin’s emphatic block of Jalen Williams energized the bench, and Pascal Siakam’s corner three brought the deficit to six before the Pacers entered the fourth down nine.

The Thunder pushed the lead back to 15 with under 10 minutes remaining, but Indiana never blinked. Three-pointers from Obi Toppin and Myles Turner ignited a surge, and back-to-back threes from Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard brought the Pacers within three. After a slow start, Toppin finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Meanwhile, Turner added 15 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks on the night.

A Pascal Siakam layup cut it to one, and after a missed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander jumper in the final seconds, Nesmith grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Haliburton, who calmly rose from the elbow and buried the game-winner.

“We just said, hey, let’s keep chipping away at the rock,” Carlisle said. “Got to keep pounding the rock and just chip away and hang in.”

“Ultimate Confidence” in Tyrese Haliburton

Thursday’s game-winner was the fourth of Haliburton’s magical playoff run, following buzzer-beaters against Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New York.

“I think we’re just a really resilient group,” Haliburton said. “We do just a great job of sticking in and just settling into the game… All series that’s what we have preached as a group is when we get down big, let’s just find a way to incrementally get it down, and we got it to 15 and we got it to eight pretty fast, and that gave us confidence.”

Turner said Haliburton’s belief is as rare as it is infectious.

“Ultimate, ultimate confidence in himself,” Turner said. “Some players will say they have it but there’s other players that show it, and he’s going to let you know about it, too. That’s one of the things I respect about him. He’s a baller and a hooper and really just a gamer. When it comes to the moments, he wants the ball. He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn’t shy away from the moment, and it is very important this time of the year to have a go-to guy. He just keeps finding a way, and we keep putting the ball in the right positions, and the rest is history.”

Carlisle said the foundation for these moments was laid years ago when the franchise acquired Haliburton and built the team around him.

“Getting to this point is a long process,” Carlisle said. “You make a trade for a player like that three and a half years ago. You look at the present, but you look toward the future, and the hope was that we could build quickly.”

Indiana’s faith in Haliburton was on full display in the final possession, as the team executed without calling a timeout after the Thunder’s final miss.

“We said if we get the stop and get the rebound, we’re going to go,” Carlisle said. “Hopefully get the ball in Tyrese’s hands and look to make a play. All that worked out.”

All-Around Effort Fueled Indiana Pacers’ Comeback

Siakam led Indiana with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Nesmith and Haliburton also recorded double-doubles. The Pacers controlled the glass throughout the night, using a 56-39 rebounding edge to compensate for their early turnover issues. Nesmith made a substantial impact on the glass with a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double. Turner was one rebound shy of being the third Pacer to record double-figure rebounds.

“We always know that we have a chance,” Siakam said. “As long as we just keep playing and keep playing.”

Turner, who hit two key threes in the fourth quarter, said the team’s defensive focus in the closing minutes was critical, often sealing off the rim with timely rim protection.

“You know, our defense is something that we decided to hang our hat on about a year and a half ago,” Turner said. “We knew if you ever wanted to be on this stage, it’s something we had to tune up. I think we did a good job in the last closing moments, but still got a lot of work to do.”

Carlisle also praised Andrew Nembhard’s two-way play, highlighting a critical late stop on Gilgeous-Alexander and the explosive step-back three he knocked down after breaking down the MVP on an island. In addition to his 14 points, four rebounds, and six assists on the night, these sequences stood out.

“He made plays at both ends,” Carlisle said. “The one stop on Shai at the end was a big play, and then we got the rebound. There was the step-back three — a big momentum play. You’ve got to have playmakers against Oklahoma City.”

The DNA of a Team That Believes

For Haliburton, the Pacers’ playoff poise is fueled by the doubts the team faced after last year’s Eastern Conference Finals sweep.

“I think we take everything personal as a group,” Haliburton said. “It’s not just me. It’s everybody. I feel like that’s the DNA of this group. Our coaching staff does a great job of making us aware of what’s being said. Us as players, we talk about it in the locker room and on the plane.”

Carlisle echoed that sentiment, calling this group one of his favorites to coach.

“It’s a group I love,” Carlisle said. “It’s a group that we’ve invested a lot in — in how we were going to draft, who we were going to draft, and development. From a coaching perspective, I’m proud of this year because not only did we win enough games to get into the Top 4, but we are still developing players.”

Indiana also drew inspiration from the franchise’s past. Thursday’s 15-point comeback tied the largest fourth-quarter comeback in an NBA Finals game since 1971 and marked the Pacers’ first-ever road win in the Finals. It was also their fifth double-digit comeback win of the 2025 playoffs — a pattern that now defines this team’s postseason identity.

Oklahoma City led for 47 minutes and 59.7 seconds — Indiana led for 0.3 seconds. And that was enough.

Oklahoma City Thunder Let One Slip Despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Brilliance

For Oklahoma City, Game 1 was a missed opportunity. The Thunder forced 25 turnovers, got 38 points from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and saw Luguentz Dort knock down five 3-pointers — yet still walked away with a gut-wrenching loss.

“We had control of the game for the most part of it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It is a 48-minute game. They teach you that lesson more than anyone else in the league, the hard way.”

Despite SGA’s heroics, Oklahoma City’s offensive rhythm faltered late. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were neutralized mainly in the fourth quarter, and the Thunder failed to capitalize on Indiana’s miscues, converting just 11 points off turnovers.

“That’s what makes the loss tough,” Williams said. “We had control of the game as much as we did and let it go away a little bit towards the end.”

Holmgren struggled to finish inside in his NBA Finals debut, scoring just six points on 2-of-9 shooting while adding six rebounds. After the game, Holmgren pointed to the missed opportunities around the rim as a key factor.

“We were getting really good cracks at it, getting good looks, getting advantages,” Holmgren said. “Especially myself, just wasn’t finishing those plays. Got to slow down and look how I can kind of convert those.”

Alex Caruso, a veteran voice for the Thunder, said the finish felt eerily similar to their Game 1 loss to Denver earlier in the playoffs.

“We played good enough to win that game, controlled it for the most part,” Caruso said. “But they made some big shots. We made a couple of mistakes down the stretch to give them free throws.”

One issue that haunted the Thunder down the stretch was rebounding — they were outrebounded 56-39 on the night, including several key possessions late.

“We can still continue to be better in that area,” Holmgren said. “Obviously, we could be better on the glass.”

Caruso also pointed to a missed opportunity to convert more off the team’s 14 steals, which failed to swing momentum in the open floor fully.

“Maybe we could have been a little more aggressive getting to the rim with the ball in transition after some of those instead of trying to come up and run sets,” Caruso said.

Oklahoma City’s supporting cast couldn’t provide enough scoring to complement MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38-point effort. Jalen Williams finished with 17 points, four rebounds, and six assists but shot just 6-of-19 from the field. Luguentz Dort added 15 points, while Isaiah Hartenstein chipped in nine points and nine rebounds. Still, it wasn’t enough.

Despite the disappointment, the Thunder remained confident heading into Game 2.

“The series isn’t first to one, it’s first to four,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We’ve lost Game 1 before. On the other side of that, we came out a better team. That’s our goal.”

Looking Ahead to Game 2

Game 2 is Sunday night at Paycom Center. The Pacers know the Thunder will respond, and Haliburton stressed the team must clean up its turnovers and maintain composure in another charged environment.

“We’ve just got to be very much present in the moment and understand what this is all about,” Carlisle said. “This is all about keeping poise and at the same time having a high level of aggression.”

Indiana has now proven it can win on the road, on the Finals stage, in improbable fashion. The Pacers closed Game 1 on a 12-2 run over the final 2:38, capping one of the most dramatic finishes in NBA Finals history.

“I feel like we can win every single game,” Toppin said. “We’re living in the moment. We got a win in the Finals and got three more to go.”