Oklahoma City Thunder drop Game 1 of the NBA Finals in dramatic fashion. Learn why the team remains unfazed and focused on the road ahead.
The Oklahoma City Thunder saw a 15-point lead vanish in the final stretch of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, as the Indiana Pacers clinched a stunning 111-110 victory with just 0.3 seconds left on the clock.
Tyrese Haliburton’s clutch pull-up jumper capped an epic Pacers comeback—Indiana’s fifth double-digit rally of the postseason—stunning a packed Paycom Center and handing the Thunder just their second home loss of this playoff run.
Familiar Pain, Familiar Potential
For the Thunder, Thursday night’s collapse echoed their earlier postseason experience against Denver. In that game, too, a fourth-quarter lead slipped away in the dying moments. Yet Oklahoma City rallied back to dominate Game 2 and eventually take the series.
“We’ve been here before,” said forward Jalen Williams. “It sucks, but it’s not the end.”
Resilience is in OKC’s DNA
Despite the heartbreaking finish, the Thunder remain confident. Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 38 points—ranking as the third-highest total for a Finals debut—and spoke with calm resolve.
“We’ve lost Game 1 before. And we came out better because of it,” he said. “That’s our goal now.”
Their track record supports that sentiment: Oklahoma City is 4-0 after losses in this postseason, winning each of those rebound games by an average of over 20 points.
A Battle of Belief: Thunder vs. Pacers
Indiana has built a reputation for comeback grit, and Thursday night’s win only reinforced that identity. “You tip your hat to them,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged. “They’ve done this all playoffs. It’s part of their DNA.”
Haliburton’s late-game heroics marked his fourth game-tying or go-ahead shot in the final five seconds of a game this postseason—an astonishing streak that puts him among the great closers of recent memory.
The Lessons in Loss
Oklahoma City’s defense, ranked No. 1, set the tone early—forcing 20 first-half turnovers. But a failure to capitalize on those mistakes allowed Indiana to stay within striking range.
The Thunder offense faltered in the final minutes, missing key shots, including a pair by Gilgeous-Alexander in the final 90 seconds. The margin for error was razor-thin, and Indiana seized the opportunity.
Still, there’s no panic in the Thunder locker room.
“The series isn’t first to one,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s first to four.”
Coach Daigneault added, “Tonight was a starting point, not an end point.”
Stay connected to Maple News Wire for full coverage of the NBA Finals and exclusive behind-the-scenes updates from Oklahoma City.
This series is far from over—and so is the Thunder’s story.
