ESPN News Services
Jun 5, 2025, 11:29 PM ET
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Tyrese Haliburton scored with 0.3 seconds left for Indiana's first and only lead of the game, and the Pacers, the last-minute comeback kings of these playoffs, did it again to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
Haliburton's shot is the latest game winner in an NBA Finals game since Michael Jordan did it in Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, according to ESPN Research.
And the Pacers' first lead of the game with 0.3 seconds remaining was the latest into any Finals game over the past 50 years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"We're a resilient group," Haliburton said afterward during an interview on ESPN's "SportsCenter." "We just keep saying that to you guys. You guys keep asking us, and we keep giving you the same answer. We're a resilient group and we don't give up till the clock hits zero. We do a great job of just staying in the moment. Try to get from 15 to 10 (down), 10 to 5, 5 to 0. We just walk teams down. Real proud of this group."
The Pacers, who closed as a 10-point underdog, pulled the second-largest upset in the Finals in the past 35 seasons. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Lakers as 12-point favorites in Game 1 of the 2001 Finals.
The Pacers were down by 15 with 9:42 left, matching the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in a Finals game since the Dallas Mavericks came from 15 down to beat the Miami Heat on June 2, 2011.
The coach of those Mavericks: Rick Carlisle. The coach of these Pacers: Rick Carlisle.
And once again, Indiana found a way at the end in these playoffs. On April 29, the Pacers trailed Milwaukee 118-111 with 34.6 seconds left in overtime and won 119-118. On May 6, the Pacers trailed Cleveland 119-112 with 48 seconds left and won 120-119. On May 21, they trailed New York 121-112 with 51.1 seconds left in regulation and won 138-135 in overtime.
Now, this.
"We've had to win so many different ways all year," Haliburton said on "SportsCenter." "During the regular season. During the playoffs. So why would that change during the Finals? We just keep staying at it and keep believing. And that's the result we get."
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points. Obi Toppin scored 17, Myles Turner had 15, and Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each had 14.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 38 for Oklahoma City, which was 36-1 at home with 15-point leads this season.
Game 2 is at Oklahoma City on Sunday night. The Thunder opened as 11.5-point favorites.
Oklahoma City led by 15 early in the fourth when Carlisle called time and subbed out all five players, seeking a spark. It worked. The Pacers outscored the Thunder 15-4 over the next 3:26, getting within 98-94 on a 3 by Turner with 6:16 left.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault lauded the "great spirit" by the Pacers.
"They keep coming. They keep playing. They made plays. They made shots. So, they deserve to win by a point," Daigneault said. "We got to learn from it. There's obviously a lot of things we can clean up but credit them. They went and got that game."
ESPN's David Purdum and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
