Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reported that Tyrese Haliburton’s 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave the Indiana Pacers a 111-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals on June 6, 2025, overcoming a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit. The Pacers, who turned the ball over 25 times, trailed for the entire game until Haliburton’s game-winner, marking their biggest fourth-quarter Finals comeback since Dallas’ 2011 rally, also coached by Rick Carlisle, per Yahoo Sports archives.
Haliburton’s Clutch Heroics
Haliburton, dubbed the league’s new “Mr. Big Shot,” finished with 14 points, while Pascal Siakam led with 19, per the AP report. This marks Haliburton’s fourth game-winner in the 2025 playoffs, including clutch shots against Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New York, as detailed in ESPN.com’s May 7, 2025, coverage. The Thunder, led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38 points, had a 36-1 home record with 15-point leads this season, per NBA.com stats, but couldn’t stop Indiana’s late surge, fueled by a 15-4 run after Carlisle’s timeout, per Yahoo Sports.
Series Outlook
The Pacers, showcasing their resilience under Carlisle’s “organized chaos” offense, per USA Today on May 22, 2025, lead 1-0 as the series continues with Game 2 in Oklahoma City on Sunday. The Thunder, who also feature Jalen Williams (17 points) and Lu Dort (15 points), will look to rebound, per the AP.
Posted on: 6 June 2025, 10:12 CET
