Oklahoma City Thunder fans began the season with championship hopes, and while the odds didn’t necessarily lean towards the Thunder, it didn’t feel outside the realm of possibility. After a franchise-best 68-win season and some hard-fought playoff battles, OKC is now just 4 wins away from the Thunder’s first-ever NBA Championship.
Loud & Loyal: The Thunder's 6th man 🔊 pic.twitter.com/LEp6IgxGbU
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 5, 2025
A lot has gone right for the Thunder this season: best record in the NBA, a host of individual awards, and a lot of fun moments, but it hasn’t all been sunshine. OKC suffered some key injuries, a few embarrassing losses, and plenty of questions around whether this team was experienced enough to make it past the second round of the playoffs, let alone make it to the NBA Finals.
After the successful regular season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was awarded the MVP and named to the All-NBA First Team, Jalen Williams was named to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive Second Team, and Luguentz Dort was named to the All-Defensive First Team. Oh, and SGA ended up as the Western Conference Finals MVP. Still, individual awards pale in comparison to winning the NBA Finals, and after all this team has been through, they still have their eyes set on the one goal: bringing OKC a Larry O’Brien trophy.
Winning the Finals will be no easy task, however, regardless of how favored OKC is. On paper, the Indiana Pacers don’t have much of a shot, but they didn’t come out of the East on top by accident. The Pacers are a fast-paced team, similar to the Thunder, and while SGA is the reigning MVP, Tyrese Haliburton has been the engine that has steered Indiana’s success in the postseason.
It’s quite alright for Thunder fans to be excited about what could happen over the next couple of weeks, but don’t get it twisted. If OKC wants to win the NBA Finals, they’re going to have to stay focused and remember that finishing out on top is a task that is “earned not given,” as Luguentz Dort would say.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: ABC
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Indiana Pacers Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Luguentz Dort
- SF: Jalen Williams
- PF: Chet Holmgren
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Pacers
- PG: Tyrese Haliburton
- SG: Andrew Nembhard
- SF: Aaron Nesmith
- PF: Pascal Siakam
- C: Myles Turner
Injury Report
Thunder
- Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) is OUT.
Pacers
- Tony Bradley (strained left hip flexor) is QUESTIONABLE.
- Isaiah Jackson (torn right Achilles tendon) is OUT.
- Jarace Walker (sprained right ankle) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 15-16 against the Pacers (9-5 at home, 6-11 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Pacers 4 times, lost it 5 times, and tied 6 times.
- The Thunder won the season series 2-0 this season (1-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).