Pacers 111 vs 110 Thunder Haliburton game winner, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Finals Game 1

Ladies and Gents. Tyrese Haliburton! 

After SGA missed a mid range jumper to ice the game with just seconds left, it was Hali's turn to take the stage. Tyrese seems to have been made for this stage, and he is looking to prove it to everyone that voted him the most overrated player in the NBA. 

It's Haliburton and the Pacers, up 1-0 on the road. 

Talk about the chips falling your way. The Pacers got a massive bail out with this Siakam put back from underneath the basket after an airball from Nembhard. That cut the lead down to one with 45 seconds to go, and he rest is history. 

It was a five point game with under 90 seconds to go. All the money had to be on OKC to win the game, but the Pacers have done it time and time again. 

The Pacers, some how and for some reason, love these kinds of games. This is when they thrive, and the rest of the teams crumble. When everything seems to be going against them, that's when they rally for their late game surprises. This is the fourth Game 1 in a row they have won. Talk about starting series off on the right foot. 

SGA didn't stop. He was about the only one that didn't stop. He went for 38 points in his debut Final game. It looked to be good enough to pull of the Game 1 win, but Haliburton and the Pacers had other things in mind. 

There was a point in the 4th quarter where we just seemed to by counting down until the Thunder won, but then the Pacers came out of nowhere. A 12-2 run put this team back in commission, but it was still going to be a tall task against a team that controlled the game the entire night. 

Alex Caruso was a big part of the game for a long period of the game. He is the only one on OKC with Finals experience, and as always he was a big part of the Thunder's success in the first three quarters. 

It seemed like the Thunder had an answer for everything the Pacers through at them... For three and a half quarters. Then, all of the sudden things started to fall apart for OKC. 

Like I said, there was no stopping SGA. He got to wherever he wanted to on the court. There was no one stopping him, until the 4th quarter when not only him but the entire team went silent. 

in Indiana fashion, the Pacers just kept hanging around and hanging around. OKC couldn't land a knock out blow, but the also never looked in danger of losing their lead. The Pacers were just waiting to pounce. 

SGA looked unstoppable for most of the night. The MVP admitted there were some nerves coming into his first NBA Finals match, but he was the constant for OKC in Game 1. 

It wasn't Haliburton or Siakam, especially in the 1st half when the Pacers turned the ball over a season high 19 times in the opening 24 minutes. Instead it was T.J. McConnell who carried the team on his back until the halftime break. 

Lu Dort hit three threes in the first half to take some of the pressure of SGA and put it all on Indy. They went down by 10 in the 2nd quarter and the Thunder were able to keep that cushion for most of the rest of the night. 

This was neither Pascal Siakam's best night nor was it Haliburton's but some how the Pacers were able to hold on until the very end. With a team like the Pacers, that's all you need. 

Siakam had 19 and 11 which is a solid night and enough to lead the way, but Haliburton seemed absent at times in Game 1. By the end of the game, he was the one making the most noise. 

For a game that the Pacers won, you are going to see quite a bit of the Thunder because they led for most of the night. It was SGA leading the way with 13 early points in the first quarter. 

The Indiana Pacers went into Oklahoma City and stunned the Thunder with anotoher late game win thanks to more of Tyrese Haliburton's heroics. The Pacers trailed all night long, but somehow came up with enough to steal one in Game 1. 

OKC came out swinging, taking a 7-0 lead and even though Andrew Nembhard hits this three, the Pacers trailed for for most of the night after the first few minutes of the game. 

IT'S ALL OVER!!!1

THE PACERS WITH ANOTHER INCREDIBLE FINISH TO TAKE ANOTHER GAME 1 IN THE SERIES OPENER OF THE NBA FINAL!!!

THERE ARE 0.3 SECONDS TO GO BUT THIS GAME IS OVER!!!

SGA HAD A SHOT TO STRETCH THE LEAD TO THREE BUT MISSED THE JUMPER AND HALIBURTON PUNISHED THE THUNDER!!!!

HALIBURTON JUST WON THE GAME WITH A PULL UP JUMPER!!!!

The call stands so OKC get the ball back with 22.1 to go. 

Siakam dove for the ball and ended up out of bounds but the Pacers are going to challenge to see if he got fouled with 22.1 to go. 

Nembhard missed the three but Siakam was there for the put back down low with under 1:00 to go. 

Nembhard to the line after the foul on Caruso and he hits both FTs. 

SGA running the break and he goes at Toppin with the lay in off the glass!

Nembhard drops a three ball off the step back from the top of the key and we have a one possession game from OKC with under 2:00 to go!!!

Nesmith drills a big three ball wit 2:38 to go and this game isn't over yet!

SGA to the line after the foul on Haliburton and he hits both FTs. 

There was a FT lane violation and Siakam gets another chance where he hits the third attempt. 

Siakam to the line after the foul on Wallace but he misses both FTs with 3:06 to go. 

Haliburton sends SGA to the line where he makes both FTs. 

SGA with a big bucket on the drive to the cup and lay up with 4:00 to go. 

Haliburton goes coast to coast and scoops it up and off the glass. 

Williams to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Nesmith. 

Turner hits the elbow jumper off the dribble. 

SGA to the line after the foul on Nembhard and he hits both FTs. 

Turner banks in a three ball from the wing and all of the sudden we have a four point game wit 6:16 to go!!!

Toppin with another three ball!!! He's got five on the night, this one from the wing!!

Williams finds Wallace on the baseline and he lays it up and in off the timeout break. 

TIMEOUT OKC WITH 7:47 TO GO IN THE 4TH QUARTER!

Turner sinks the three ball from the corner off the feed from Haliburton!

Toppin sinks a much needed three ball from the top of the key! He's got 4 triples on the night!

Caruso off the dribble, got bumped, hit the runner, and got the foul! FT is no good after the foul on Toppin. 

Nembhard to the rack, laying it up and in with the foul out of the TO. FT is good after the foul on Caruso. 

McConnell threw it away on the inbound from the baseline and Williams takes it to the bucket in stride for the slam!

Timeout IND with 9:42 to go

Williaims slices through the lane and lays it up in traffic. 

Mathurin takes Caruso to the rack and lays it up and in on the left side. 

Wiggins to the line after the foul on McConnell and he hits one of two FTs. 

Mathurin to the line after the foul on Williams and he hits one of two FTs. 

Williams slithers through the lane and lays it up on the left side of the paint. 

Caruso to the line after the foul on Mathurin and he hits both FTs. 

WE ARE HEADING TO THE FOURTH QUARTER WITH THE THUNDER UP 9!!!

SGA with a pull up over Sheppard and he beats the buzzer with a three ball! He's got 28 on the night!

Siakam in the corner and he strings the three ball in front of the OKC bench!

Bryant answers back with a three ball from the corner off the look from McConnell!

Joe drills the three ball from off the tip out from Caruso!

Mathurin hits both FTs after the foul was upheld. 

Hartenstien was called for a foul on Mathruin and the Thunder are going to challenge it with 1:24 to go in the 3rd quarter. 

Bryant answer back with a baseline jam off the slip pass from Maturin. 

Hartenstein follows up the miss from Caruso and he slams it home from down low. 

Timeout Pacers with 3:00 to go in the third quarter. 

Toppin down low off the feed from Nembhard and he gets it to go. H's got 11 on the night. 

SGA into the paint and he hits the step back over Bryant. 

Haliburton into the paint and he floats one up and in. 

SGA finds a wide open Holmgren down low and he gets the easy jam. 

Nembhard into the lane and he lays it up and in off the glas. 

Dort hits back to back three balls! That's 15 points for him, all from DT!

Toppin had to jack it up and he hits the corner three with the clock running out!

Dort with a long ball from the wing and he's got 12 on the night, all from DT. 

Haliburton hits an elbow jumper out of the timeout. 

Timeout Thunder with 7:01 to go in the 3rd quarter. 

Wallace wiggles into the lane and lays it up and in in traffic. 

Siakam follows up the missed three from Nesmith and lays it up and in before the clock ran out. 

Wallace lobs it up and Williams was there for the alley oop slam on the baseline!

Nesmith with a three ball after the ball got worked around the horn!

Wallace takes Haliburton to the rack and lays it up and in. 

Siakam dives to the rack and he lays it up and in off the glass of the look up from Haliburton. 

SGA pulls up from the elbow and thats money. He's got 25 on the night. 

Siakam to the line after the foul on Williams and he hits one of two FTs. 

Haliburton down low to Turner and he gets the finish to fall in traffic. 

SGA gets to his spot and hits the mid range jumper to start the quarter. 

WE ARE BACK IN OKC FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!!

Everyone wanted to know how SGA would come out in his first Finals game. I think 19 points in the first 24 minutes will answer that question. 

Dort hit three big three balls in the first half. He's got 3 of the 7 deep balls from OKC and has 9 points on the night. 

Siakam is the leading scorer for the starters, but it's McConnell who is leading IND with 9 points. Haliburton as 6 points, and 3 assists. He does have 7 rebounds too, but he has to turn it on on the offensive end. 

Alex Caruso is the only one who has any Finals experience on OKC and it's showing. He has been fantastic so far in Game 1. 

It was a mess for the Pacers in the first half. They couldn't hang on to the ball, but somehow they are still in the game. They went 8/19 from downtown and that's keeping them in the game. 

The Thunder got up and stayed up for most of the first half. Jalen Williams is the second scorer for OKC, most nights, and he's got 7 after two quarters. 

OKC wouldn't have it any other way. SGA getting things started in Game 1 of the Finals. 

WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST HALF AND THE THUNDER HAVE BEEN UP ALL NIGHT LONG!

SGA with an open look and he takes the three ball from the wing and drills it! He's got 19 points in the first half!

McConnell with the pump fake, dribble and mid range jumper from outside the lane. 

SGA down the lane and he finishes with the left hand off the glass. 

Nesmtih with a spot up three ball from the wing!

Williams drives and banks it up and in down low. 

McConnell settles this crowd down with a pull up three ball from the wing!

Dort from the corner off the feed from Curso and he's got three triple tires!

Dort with a second straight three ball and the lead is back up to 10!!!

Timeout Pacers with 4:12 to go in the 1st half!!

Dort drops a three ball from the corner off the dish from Williams!

Nesmith to the line after the foul on Wallace and he hits one of two but Siakam gets the board and the put back off the miss. 

Nembhard to the line after the foul on Dort and he hits one of two FTs. 

Step back from SGA out of the timeout and he hits it from the elbow. 

Haliburton drills a three ball from the top of the key off the pump fake and he might be starting to get going. 

Timeout Thunder with 7:50 to go in the 2nd quarter. 

Turner to the line after the foul on Dort and he hits both FTs. 

Holmgren fouled by Turner and he hits both FTs. 

Williams to the line after the foul on Mathurin and he hits both FTs. 

Sheppard drops a three ball from the wing off the pass from Siakam. 

Caruso to the line after the foul on Sheppard and he hits both FTs. 

Caruso to the rack and Williams found him down the lane for the lay up. 

Siakam to the line after the foul on Caruso and he hits both FTs. 

Wiggins spins in the lane and hits the fader from the paint. 

Toppin starts the quarter with a three ball from the wing off the kick out from Mathurin. 

WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER AND OKC LEAD BY 9!!!

SGA has 12 of the Thunder 29 points. IND turned it over nine times and no one had more than 4 points for the Pacers. 

SGA to the line after the foul on Nembhard and he hits one of two FTs. 

Toppin hits a big three ball from the top of the key to cut into the OKC lead. 

Hartenstein with the and one afrer the foul down low on Bryant! FT is good. 

McConnell out of the TO and he goes to the cup with a lay up attempt. 

SGA knocks down a step back jumper from outside the lane and the Pacers take a timeout with 1:04 to go in the first quarter. 

SGA missed the floater but Hartenstein was there for the rebound and put back. 

Hartenstein to the line after the foul on Turner and he hits both FTs. 

McConnell slashes to the rack and scoops it up and in on the left side with the right hand. 

Caruson from the wing and he answers back with a three ball after coming off the bench!

Haiburton strings a three ball from the wing for his first points of the Finals.  

Joe with the step back from outside the lane and he hits it over Haliburton. 

Who else was is going to be putting the Thunder on the board for the first time in the Finals? SGA has 9 points already. 

SGA slices down the lane and finger rolls it up and in through traffic. He's got 9 points already. 

Timeout IND with 5:00 to go in the first quarter. 

SGA into the lane and he loft it up and in on the off balanced floater.

Nembhard from the corner off the extra pass from Siakam and he drills the long ball!

Timeout OKC with 7:07 to go in the first quarter!

Turner pulls up from outside the lane and hits the middy. 

SGA was left alone on the perimeter and he strings the three ball!

Siakam pulls up and hits the mid range jumper over Wallace from the FT line. 

Siakam takes Wallace to the cup on the baseline and lays it up off the glass. 

Turner to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he hits one of two FTs. 

Williams with a three ball off the pull up and the Thunder are off to a rumbling start!

Holmgren drives from the three point line all the way to the iron and he lays it up with a defender on his back. 

SGA into the paint and he starts the series off with a lay up at the cup. 

GAME 1 OF THE NBA FINALS ARE UNDERWAY FROM OKC!!!

The MVP is in the building

Getting to the Finals already having won the MVP is an added pressure for SGA. This is his first NBA Finals. Let's see how he comes out from the gate. They are going to need him to be at his MVP level from start to finish. Can he deliver on the biggest stage? Let's find out. 

Tik toc

Tip off to Game 1 is just moments away. Get your shoelaces tied. Get your pop corn and get ready for a show from OKC. 

Dancing with the stars

It might be a battle. It might be a war for the night five, six or seven games. But before the game Haliburton and SGA had some friendly words at halfcourt in the countdown to tip off. 

OKC starting five

The Thunder are pulling a bit of a surprise coming into tongiht's Game 1 opener. It's most of the usual cast of characters in the starting five, except Isaiah Hartenstein. I's Cason Wallace getting the start with SGA, Lu Dort, J. Williams and Chet Holmgren. 

Pacers starters

The Pacers come into Oklahoma City looking to take the first game on the road. They have won each and every Game 1 in their postseason run, and the last two Game 1s came on the road. Tonight they will try and do the same thing against the OKC. It's Haliburton, Nembhar, Turner, Nesmith and Siakam to start the game from Paycom Center. 

Injury report: Thunder

One of the keys to a title run is staying healthy. We have seen big stars go down and their teams follow suit in this postseason. Steph Curry had a hamstring injury, Donovan Mitchell had an ankle injury and Jayson Tatum tore his achilles. The Warriors, Cavs and Celtics are all watching the Final from home after seeing their stars go down. Not only have the Thunder’s stars stayed healthy, everyone has stayed healthy. They have a clean injury report coming into tonight’s Game 1, and that is just as important as anything else when you start the NBA Finals. 

Injury report: Pacers  

The Indiana Pacers have had a pretty healthy ride through this postseason, but tonight they will be without their young forward Jarace Walker who suffered an ankle sprain in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He has been ruled out tonight, and most likely for Game 2 as well. He didn’t play in the first four games of last series, but did get minutes in the final two games. The Pacers rely on their depth, so being a bit thin in the front court could hurt them against Holmgren and Hartenstein. 

NBA

Adam Silver shuts down small-market NBA Finals criticism with NFL comparison: If the Super Bowl were “Packers vs. Steelers, you’d be celebrating”

Small markets? Small problems

There is a lot of talk of these two teams not coming from big markets, or having international stars. There are no Lakers or Celtics. LeBron, Steph, Jokic and Giannis are all on vacation. So what do we have? First we have the MVP of the NBA, and that’s no small thing. Next, we have to fantastic teams that deserve to be here, no matter what market they come from. Just because they aren’t massive cities or markets in the US doesn’t mean the passion for basketball is any less, in fact it’s the opposite. Instead of having celebrities draped around the stadium both Indy and OKC are full of basketball junkies, and that suit Adam Silver just fine. 

NBA

Will Tyrese Haliburton’s father attend the NBA Finals games in OKC?

Oh, behave!

One of the stories of the early part of the playoffs wasn’t just Tyrese Haliburton and his incredible play, it was his dad John. After the elimination game in which the Pacers knocked out the Bucks, John got in the face of Giannis Antetokounmpo while celebration and if it wasn’t for the extreme restraint of the Greek was on the verge of getting KOed. The Pacers temporarily suspended him from attending home and away games, but that ban was lifted at the end of last series. The question is, will he be in attendance tonight in OKC? Our William Allen has more. 

MVP winning titles 

Winning the MVP is great. You could tell that it meant something to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during his acceptance speech, but you could also tell that it wasn’t the end goal. He is a team first guy who wants to share his success with the rest of the guys on OKC. He’s got a chance to do that in this series. If he and the Thunder win the title, he will become the 14th player to win the MVP and the title in the same year. Bob Cousy was the first to do it in 1956. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan both did it a record four times, and the last player to do it was Steph Curry back in the 2014/15 season. SGA has a chance to bring the first title to OKC and has a chance to join an elite list of champs and MVPs. 

Finals history: Pacers

It’s been a long time coming for Indiana, and they will be hoping to snap the title drought that stretches back a half of century. The Hosier State is regarded by many as the cradle of basketball. The passion the fans have for this team is unmatched despite them never having won an NBA Title. In fact, the Pacers have only reached this stage of the playoffs once before and it came all the way back in 2000. Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson were the stars of the show that year, but they would eventually lost to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. Now the Pacers are back in the Finals, 25 years later, looking to make history. 

Finals history: Thunder

We talk about this being, potentially, the first NBA title for this OKC Thunder squad. That is true. They have only made the Finals once before, and that came back in 2012 when KD, James Harden and Russell Westbrook lost to the Miami Heat in five games. That was just four four years years after the franchise moved from Seattle to OKC. Before they were the Thunder, they were the Super Sonics, and that team made it to the NBA Finals three different times. In the late 70s the Thunder went to back to back Finals, losing to the Washington Bullets in 1978, but getting their revenge on the Bullets the next year. They wouldn’t get back to the Finals until 1996 when Michael Jordan and the Bulls beat them 4-2 to take the title. The fans in OKC don’t know what it is to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but that could change awfully soon. 

Star watch: Thunder

The best team in the regular season was led by the best player in the NBA this year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not only the top scorer in the league averaging 32.7 ppg, but he was the most impactful player in the league. That’s why he won the MVP over Nikola Jokic and that’s why the Thunder are in the NBA Finals. He has been sensational in the postseason, averaging 29.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7 assists. Nothing and no one has been able to shut him down and now that he has this team in the NBA Finals, the MVP will be looking to shine on the brightest stage. 

Star watch: Pacers 

Ladies and gentleman, presenting the player the rest of the league voted the most overrated in the NBA. Tyrese Haliburton has welcomed that label and not only shut his critics up but knocked a lot of them out of the playoffs on the way. It’s been one miracle win after another for the Pacers, and many of those magical moments have been orchestrated by the one they call the most overrated player in the league. Haliburton can score the rock, and often does when his team needs him to, but he is the motor that makes this team run. He is one of the game’s best passers and that is why this team has made it this far. If they are going to win their first ever title, it’s going to be up to their point guard. Their superstar. Their Mr. Overrated. 

How they got here: Thunder 

The Thunder were the top team in the Western Conference for the second straight year, but this time they finished the season with the best record in the league. They won 25 of their fist 30 games and led the West basically from start to finish. They locked up the one seed with a little less than a month to go before the playoffs and wiped out the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. They went up against a championship caliber team in Denver and SGA topped Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets to secure his MVP and get one step closer to he Finals. They squared off against the Minnesota Timberwolves and breezed by them in five games to return to the Finals for the first time in over a decade. 

How they got here: Pacers 

Despite getting to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, there weren’t a whole lot of people talking about the Indiana Pacers coming into this year. They had a consistent season with more ups than downs, and came into the playoffs as the fourth seed in the East. They paired up against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. They took care of Giannis and the Bucks in five games, and set up a match up with the one seeded Cleveland Cavs. They knocked out the bruised and battered one seed in another five game series and then took on the Knicks as they reached the ECF for a second straight year. A Game 1 thriller and a miracle fourth quarter comeback set the tone for the rest of the way as Indy won both games in NYC, and then closed out the series in Game 6 in Indiana. 

We are live from Paycom Center 

Hello everyone and welcome to OKC where the league’s best team this season has earned the right to host the opening two games of the NBA Finals. They have had a few more days off after their five game series against the Minnesota Timberwolves so they should come in rested and refreshed against an Indiana Pacers team that closed out the New York Knicks on Saturday night from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. These two teams are in search of their first NBA title, but only one will be lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the series. 

Pacers vs. Thunder Game 1 

The wait is over! It’s been a few days since Conference Finals came to an end, but it’s been a much longer wait for both of these teams who have had to wait a long, long time to return to the NBA Finals. It’s the regular season’s best team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, hosting this postseason’s darlings, the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s series opener from Paycom Center.