Pacers Crush Thunder’s Hopes in Thrilling NBA Finals Opener as OKC’s Game 1 Jinx Strikes Again

Pacers Flip the Script: Game 1 Stunner Rocks Thunder Fans

If the Oklahoma City Thunder thought home-court advantage would give them an easy start to the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers had no interest in sticking to the script. The Thunder built a big cushion early, roaring ahead by 15 thanks to a hot-handed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a roaring home crowd. But basketball isn’t a game of comfort, and what happened next was exactly the kind of heartbreaker Oklahoma fans have grown weary of.

Right when OKC seemed in control, the cracks showed—a pileup of turnovers that would haunt them for the rest of the night. Stat-wise, the Thunder coughed up the ball often enough in the first half to set a pretty painful franchise record for Finals debuts. Still, SGA was cooking. He racked up highlight-worthy buckets, threading through defenders and keeping Indiana’s hopes from ballooning too soon.

The tide changed late in the third, and the Pacers’ approach took over. Instead of playing catch-up, Indiana caught fire. Myles Turner nailed a couple of timely threes. Obi Toppin let one fly that cut the gap, just as it looked like OKC might pull away. Aaron Nesmith, who often flies under the radar, found his range exactly when the Thunder’s defense lost composure in the fourth quarter. Then came Tyrese Haliburton. The young guard’s buzzer-beating dagger sealed the kind of comeback that makes Finals history, silencing thousands and giving the Pacers another gust of momentum on the road.

OKC Scrambles, Finds Its Fire in Game 2

For the Thunder, dropping the opener at home felt all too familiar—it marked the third straight playoff series where that’s happened. That’s not the record anyone wants on their stat sheet, and there’s a reason everyone’s eyes were glued to Game 2. Oklahoma City responded with urgency. Their defensive rotations were sharper, they pressured ball handlers, and once again SGA led by example, but this time his teammates matched his energy.

The result? A 123-107 domination that looked much more like the Thunder squad that stormed through the Western Conference. Every Indiana push got countered. OKC cleaned up their transition defense and finally turned their athleticism into actual stops. The Pacers, who had relied so much on heroic shooting under pressure, didn’t get the same open looks. With that win, the series hit reset—one game each, and suddenly it was anyone’s race again.

So now, as the Finals shift to Indianapolis, neither of these teams can rely on history. Both are chasing that first championship, both have survived major scares, and neither looks ready to blink. The Pacers have shown they can steal one on the road; the NBA Finals pressure isn’t going anywhere. But OKC’s response in Game 2 sends a reminder—they’re not about to let history dictate the end of this story.