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Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

Date: Thursday 20th June 2025 Start time: 9:30 pm local time (1:30 am BST) Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Last regular season meeting: February 29, 2025, Oklahoma City Thunder 132-111 Indiana Pacers The 2025 NBA Championship finals see the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder go head-to-head in a best-of-7 series.

Henry Cheal

Sports Writer

Last updated: 2025-06-18

Fact checked by:

Chad Nagel

Sports & Betting Editor

5 minutes read

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander//Getty Images

Table of Contents

The 2025 NBA Championship finals see the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder go head-to-head in a best-of-7 series. Thirty NBA organizations battled it out in the regular season and now two teams remain in the play-offs. The Pacers are yet to win an NBA title since their merge in the 1970s, and the Thunder have yet to win a title since their move from Seattle. Which team will prevail in one of the most intriguing NBA finals in recent memory?

Read on for SportsBoom’s thoroughly detailed preview as we share insights about both the Thunder and the Pacers. We will be exploring the Thunder’s and Pacers’ best operators and take a trip down memory lane by exploring recent and past head-to-head fixtures. Once we’ve gathered these details, we will share our value bets before concluding which franchise will lift the Larry O’Brien trophy.

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Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the clear favourites to win. For more insights on the platform, check out our detailed 1Win sportsbook review.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 4/9 (1.44) – 69.4%
Indiana Pacers: 19/10 (2.90) – 34.5%
Forecast odds – Betting available on 1Win closer to event

Head-to-Head Record

Throughout the NBA regular season, this matchup has taken place for nearly fifty years, with fixtures starting in 1976. In that time, considering both franchises play in opposite Conferences, this matchup has been contested only 101 times.

It’s a tight affair but Oklahoma City Thunder have the most victories, winning 55 times, compared to 46 wins for the Indiana Pacers. This statistic could be a crucial factor ahead of the NBA final as both teams historically have proven their worth on a number of occasions.

Last Five Matches

Season	Date	Result
2024/25 Season	March 29, 2025	Oklahoma City Thunder 132-111 Indiana Pacers
2024/25 Season	December 26, 2024	Oklahoma City Thunder 120-114 Indiana Pacers
2023/24 Season	April 5, 2024	Indiana Pacers 126-112 Oklahoma City Thunder
2023/24 Season	March 12, 2024	Indiana Pacers 121-111 Oklahoma City Thunder
2022/23 Season	March 31, 2023	Indiana Pacers 121-117 Oklahoma City Thunder

How is the season so far for both teams?

Oklahoma City Thunder

Record: 68-14
Home Form: 35-6
Road Form: 32-8

The Oklahoma City Thunder finished the Western Conference the number one seed after completing an impressive regular season campaign, finishing with a 68-14 record. The organization whitewashed the Memphis Grizzlies and defeated the Denver Nuggets 4-3 to reach the Conference finals and face the Minnesota Timberwolves. The franchise dominated the series 4-1, and now are four wins away from the biggest prize in basketball.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the season as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, notching up an incredible statline of 32.7 points, 5 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. His scoring placed him as the highest during the regular season, making him a well-deserved winner of the award. In the postseason, there’s simply no doubt he’s been of significant value, averaging 30.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists. An NBA championship would cap off one of the greatest all-time seasons for SGA.

23-year-old Chet Holmgren is only in his second NBA season, but he’s producing numbers at a high level on both sides of the court. In the regular season, he only started 32 games due to injuries but averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds, yet in the postseason he’s found ways to improve despite a lack of match sharpness. He’s averaging 15.9 points and 8.7 rebounds, an improvement from earlier in the season, and is a key roster member.

Indiana Pacers

Record: 50-32
Home Form: 29-11
Road Form: 20-20

The Indiana Pacers were one of the strongest teams heading into the playoffs, winning eight of their last ten matches in the regular season. As a result, they rose to fourth and avoided any play-in possibilities which at one point looked likely. The Pacers completed a dominant 4-1 series win over the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers, before a 4-2 series win over the New York Knicks.

31-year-old Pascal Siakam is an influential figure in the dressing room as he has played his first full season in Indiana, averaging a consistent 20.2 points in the regular season and 20.6 points in the postseason. Despite these averages, Siakam is known to be extremely efficient on both sides of the court, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game, too.

Alongside Siakam is Tyrese Haliburton, an equally key component of the Pacers’ starting five. Haliburton finished inside the top three in the league in assists, and the 25-year-old point guard has averaged 18.6 points in both regular and postseason. His consistency is unmatched which makes him a vital asset, and he’s saved the Pacers on multiple occasions with clutch shots in the most important moments.

Value Bets

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Over 30 Points
Anytime Shai Gilgeous-Alexander walks out onto the court, we’ve become accustomed to his consistent scoring positions every time. It’s becoming something of a habit that he drops at least 30 points a game, therefore, this is a safe prediction that should come true. He’s done this in his last four out of five matches.
Tyrese Haliburton: Over 20 Points and Over 10 Assists
Tyrese Haliburton came close to achieving a mighty impressive triple-double performance in one of the previous matchups in this series. But this provided enough proof that we think he has what it takes to score and assist efficiently in offense, especially on the biggest stage of them all, leaving us to suggest he will post at least 20 points and 10 assists.

Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder to win

SportsBoom concludes that the Oklahoma City Thunder will win this game. It’s undoubtedly difficult to choose who will win, but the Thunder have established themselves as arguably the best team all season. The Indiana Pacers should make this a close series, but the Thunder will lift their first NBA championship after a few close calls over the years.

If you’re looking to back your predictions or join the action, many sportsbooks are offering a free signup bonus to new users.

Henry ChealSports Writer

Henry Cheal is a versatile freelance sports journalist with extensive experience in the industry. Henry has previously worked at the 2024 World Snooker Championship and earned a Multimedia Sports Journalism degree from UCFB in 2023.