🏀 NBA Finals Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (2025)

The 2025 NBA Finals tip off on Thursday, June 5, featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. Both teams are vying for their first championship since their respective relocations and rebrandings. This Thunder are heavy favorites in this series at -800 odds but the Pacers have the make up to hang around and make this a series. Let's dive in to our NBA Finals preview 2025.

🔍 Thunder vs Pacers Regular Season Head-to-Head Results

The Thunder and Pacers met twice during the 2024–25 regular season:

• December 26, 2024: Thunder 120, Pacers 114

• March 29, 2025: Thunder 132, Pacers 111

Oklahoma City secured victories in both games, showcasing their offensive explosiveness and defense ability. A crazy stat for me was the fact that Tyrese Haliburton was held to 4 points on 2 of 6 shooting in 35 minutes on one of these games. The Pacers will absolutely need more from him if they are going to have any chance to win or even hang around in this series. Other stats to note are that SGA had 45 and 33 points in those games.

📊 Team Performance Overview

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Regular Season Record: 68–14 (.829)

• Playoff Record: 12–4

• Key Players:

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Averaged 32.7 PPG, 6.4 APG

  • Jalen Williams: Contributed 21.6 PPG

  • Chet Holmgren: Provided 15.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG

The Thunder's balanced offense and tenacious defense have been instrumental in their journey to the Finals.

Indiana Pacers

• Regular Season Record: 50–32 (.610)

• Playoff Record: 12–4

• Key Players:

  • Tyrese Haliburton: Averaged 20.3 PPG, 10.2 APG

  • Pascal Siakam: Contributed 22.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG

  • Aaron Nesmith: Emerged as a clutch performer, notably in the Eastern Conference Finals

Indiana's resilience and depth have propelled them through a challenging playoff path.

NBA Finals Preview 2025 & Prediction

Considering the Thunder's dominant regular season and playoff performance, they are favored to clinch the title. Their depth and defensive capabilities give them an edge over the Pacers.

Prediction: Thunder win the series in 6 games. I do think the Pacers have what it takes to win a couple games in this series. I know they are opening up as 9.5 point underdogs in Game 1 and that Thunder crowd will be loud but it's not all about Game 1, it's a seven game series for a reason and I can see them getting a couple wins. Draftkings has this outcome listed at +450 at the time of writing.

NBA Finals MVP Prediction

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the frontrunner for the Finals MVP. His leadership and scoring ability have been pivotal for the Thunder throughout the season. His ability to get to the foul line certainly help his numbers but it's hard to imagine anyone else on the Thunder stepping up to have more of an impact than him in this series especially down the stretch of games. I hope to see a lot of back and forth between SGA and Haliburton during the final minutes of games in this series because that will be fun to watch.

NBA Finals Betting Strategy

For bettors looking to make informed wagers during the Finals:

• Focus on Matchups: Analyze player matchups and how they have performed against each other in the past.

• Monitor Injuries: Stay updated on player health, as injuries can significantly impact game outcomes.

• Consider Over/Under Bets: Evaluate team scoring trends to inform over/under bets.

• Player Props: Everyone focuses on the stars in the NBA Finals but try to open your eyes to valuable lines for the role players. Historically, there's a lot of value with them because the books underestimate them.

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NBA Finals Champion Odds

As of now, the odds favor the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the championship and -800 suggests it could be in 4 or 5 games. Their consistent performance throughout the season and playoffs positions them as the likely NBA Finals champions and are the better team in this series. With that said, they play the games for a reason.

Stay tuned for game-by-game analyses and betting tips as the 2025 NBA Finals unfold. For more detailed predictions and strategies, consider joining our VIP community.