The NBA Finals are set to begin on Thursday, June 5, 2025, as the Indiana Pacers will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. This looks to be an exciting series between two teams without an NBA Finals Championship, as each side has excellent players including Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Chet Holmgren and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
To get a better understanding before making your Thunder vs. Pacers picks, we’ll break down each team’s trends in recent performances, compare their head-to-head matchups, and highlight some important players that could make an impact in this series.
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Pacers vs. Thunder: Key Trends
- The Pacers are 2-3 vs. the Thunder since Haliburton joined the team in 2022.
- The Thunder are 4-5 vs. the Pacers since SGA joined in 2019.
- It’s rare for a 4-seed like the Pacers to make the NBA Finals — this is only the sixth time a 4-seed has appeared in the NBA Finals. Only one of those teams (1969 Celtics) won the championship.
- The Thunder have been exceptional vs. the Eastern Conference opponents this season, going 29-1 in those games. It’s the best inter-conference record in NBA history.
- The Thunder have forced at least 15 turnovers in 74 of 98 games, going 61-13 in those games, including 10-3 in the playoffs.
- The Pacers have got to this point by being efficient in the paint; they’re averaging 0.9 points per paint touch in the Playoffs.
- The Thunder are the youngest team to win 68 regular season games. The Pacers’ average age is just 25.3 years — also below the average for Finals teams.
- The Pacers started the season 10-15, finishing on a 40-17 run to finish the season — momentum they continued into the NBA Playoffs.
Pacers vs. Thunder: Last Five Games Trends
Looking at how these two teams are playing in recent games could give us a sense of how this NBA Finals series could play out. Here are some notable trends for each team over their last five games.
- The Thunder are averaging 117.0 points in their last five games, which is better than any other playoff team.
- The Pacers are averaging 112.6 points in their last five games, which is only behind the Thunder and Cavaliers, whom they defeated in the second round.
- The Thunder’s offensive output is led by their efficiency, as their 48.8% shooting and 43.0 field goals made over the last five games are better than any other team.
- Indiana is not that far off from Oklahoma City’s shooting efficiency in the last five games, as they have shot 48.6% from the field.
- Both teams like to spread the ball, thanks to their numerous offensive options. The Thunder's 25.2 assists per game over their last five games is the second-most, while the Pacers’ 24.8 assists is third.
- What makes Oklahoma City a huge favorite to win this series are its options on both sides of the court. OKC’s 111.7 defensive rating over their last five games is the third-best amongst every other playoff team’s last five games.
- We could see fast-break points come at a premium in this series, with Oklahoma City (7.8) and Indiana (8.6) ranking one and two, respectively, in their last five games.
- Even when Indiana turns over the ball, it does not hurt them, as their 11.4 points per game allowed off turnovers in their last five playoff games is the second-lowest.
Pacers vs. Thunder: 2025 Matchup Trends
These two faced off twice in the regular season, and we’ll look at some notable trends for these two teams in these games.
- The Thunder won both games with a +27 total point margin.
- Their most recent win was by 21 points, thanks to outscoring Indiana 73-53 in the second and third quarters.
- The Thunder could focus on scoring points in the paint, as they outscored the Pacers 108-78 in the two regular-season games.
- Turnovers made all the difference in the Pacers’ first loss, and will be key in this series too. Their 11 turnovers led to 17 Thunder points in the six-point loss.
- The Thunder shot 51.1% in the second game, which was one of an astounding 33 games where the Thunder shot over 50% from the field.
Player Stats in Previous Pacers vs. Thunder Matchups
We’ll look at some of the notable players in this NBA Finals matchup and how they’ve performed in the head-to-head matchups during the regular season.
- NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered two excellent performances against the Pacers, scoring 33 and 45 points in the two matchups.
- Thunder C Isaiah Hartenstein was a force on the boards in one of the matchups, with 13 rebounds. In the other game, he only played 14 minutes and still had five rebounds.
- Thunder SF Jalen Williams had two solid performances against the Pacers, scoring 18 and 20 points. He also shot 50% (7-for-14) in their most recent matchup.
- Pacers PG Tyrese Haliburton did not have his best performance against the Thunder. While he did lead the Pacers in points in one game, it was only 18 points. He also had an abysmal four-point game.
- Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam had a double-double against the Thunder (22 points, 11 rebounds) in their first matchup, but couldn't replicate that in their most recent matchup, with 11 points and nine rebounds.
- Pacers SG Andrew Nembhard has been one of the more consistent performers for the Pacers against the Thunder, with a 23-point and 16-point performance.
Make Pacers vs. Thunder Picks on PrizePicks
The NBA Finals are set to begin on Thursday, and with the Indiana Pacers trying to win their first title, and the Thunder not having any in Oklahoma City, only winning one in 1979 when they were previously the Seattle Supersonics.
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been impressive throughout the playoffs and looks to lead OKC, while Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam will attempt to do the same on a more balanced Pacers team.
With the NBA Finals here, there’s no better time to cash in on your NBA knowledge on PrizePicks.
There are countless player stat projections to pick from on PrizePicks NBA — from points, rebounds, assists, threes, and combos — so you can build your Lineup however you like. Just pick More or Less on at least two player stat projections to build your Lineup.
Check out the Playbook daily for more NBA DFS picks and analysis for PrizePicks throughout the NBA Playoffs.
