The Indiana Pacers meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Thursday. The Pacers (50-32), who are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, are looking for their first championship since winning the ABA title in 1973. The Thunder (68-14), who are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012, last won an NBA championship in 1979, when they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics. This will be the first-ever postseason meeting between the two franchises. Jarace Walker (ankle) will miss the first two games of the series for the Pacers.
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Tip-off from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. Oklahoma City won both regular-season meetings. The Thunder are 9.5-point favorite in the latest Pacers vs. Thunder odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 230.
Before making any Pacers vs. Thunder picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions from SportsLine's Matt Severance.
Severance is a well-connected writer and high-volume handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. After joining SportsLine, Matt quickly established himself as a top expert in multiple sports. Over the past three NBA seasons, he has returned $4,452 for $100 bettors on all NBA picks and he enters this matchup on a 164-91-1 roll (+3324) on NBA picks. Anybody following him could have seen HUGE returns!
Severance is going Under on the total, and he's also found a critical X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back! Be sure to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.
Who wins Thunder vs. Pacers, and what critical X-factor makes one side a must-back? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Pacers vs. Thunder spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who has returned nearly $3,400 for $100 players in his last 256 NBA picks!
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Written by Daniel Kohn
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