tyrese-haliburton-pacers-imagn.jpg
Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Thursday. Indiana is coming off a six-game series win over New York in the Eastern Conference finals, while Oklahoma City outlasted Minnesota in five games in the West Finals. The Pacers (50-32), who are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, are looking for their first NBA championship after winning three ABA titles. 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. Jarace Walker (ankle) will miss the first two games of the series for Indiana.

Tipoff from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. OKC both won and covered in both regular-season meetings, but Indiana won the three prior matchups. The Thunder are 9.5-point favorites in the latest Pacers vs. Thunder odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 230. Before making any Thunder vs. Pacers picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions from SportsLine's Matt Severance, who is SportsLine's No. 1 expert and is on a huge 164-91 roll on his NBA picks that has returned more than 33 units. 

Now, Severance has analyzed Pacers vs. Thunder and just revealed his coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Thunder vs. Pacers. New users can utilize a DraftKings promo code, a FanDuel promo code or a BetMGM promo code to get started. 

Thunder vs. Pacers spread

Oklahoma City -9.5 at DraftKings

Thunder vs. Pacers over/under

230 points

Thunder vs. Pacers money line

Oklahoma City -472, Indiana +360

Thunder vs. Pacers picks 

See picks at SportsLine

Thunder vs. Pacers streaming

Fubo (Try for free)

Why the Thunder can cover

Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off a monster series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the five-game series, he averaged 31.4 points, 8.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds. He had a near triple-double in a 128-126 win in Game 4, scoring 40 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing nine rebounds. He had 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in a 124-94 win in Game 5.

Forward Jalen Williams also helps power the Thunder offense. In 16 postseason starts, he is averaging 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.6 minutes. In the Game 5 win over the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, he scored 19 points, while adding eight rebounds and five assists. He scored a postseason-high 34 points with five assists, three rebounds and three steals in the Game 4 win over the Timberwolves. See which team to back at SportsLine.

Why the Pacers can cover

Power forward Pascal Siakam, the MVP of the Eastern Conference finals, helps lead the Indiana offense. In the Game 6 close-out win over the New York Knicks, he scored 31 points, while adding five rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He had 30 points, five rebounds and two assists in a 130-121 win in Game 4 against New York. In 16 playoff starts, he is averaging 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.6 minutes.

Power forward Tyrese Haliburton had three double-doubles and one triple-double in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 6 against the Knicks on Saturday, he poured in 21 points, dished out 13 assists and grabbed six rebounds. In Game 4 of the series, he poured in 32 points, dished out 15 assists and grabbed 12 rebounds. In 16 postseason games, all starts, he is averaging 18.8 points, 9.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 35.1 minutes. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

How to make Pacers vs. Thunder picks

Now, Severance has locked in another confident against-the-spread pick for Pacers vs. Thunder. He is leaning Under on the total, but he knows a crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. You absolutely need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.  

So who wins Thunder vs. Pacers, and what X-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the expert who is up 33 units on his NBA picks, and find out.