Insiders break down Pacers’ Game 2 loss to OKC Thunder in Oklahoma City
IndyStar’s Zach Osterman and The Oklahoman’s Justin Martinez break down the Indiana Pacers’ Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Indiana Pacers, the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed, play June 11 in Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. MST (8:30 p.m. Eastern time) and can be seen on ABC (stream with FUBO).
Who will win the NBA playoff game?
Check out these NBA postseason picks and predictions for the matchup. The series is tied, 1-1.
The Thunder are a 5.5-point favorite over the Pacers in NBA playoffs odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook. Oklahoma City is -220 on the moneyline. Indiana is +180. The over/under for the game is set at 228.5 points.
Watch Thunder vs Pacers game on FUBO (free trial)
ESPN: Thunder have a 55.2% chance to beat Pacers in Game 3
The site gives Indiana a 44.8% shot at defeating Oklahoma City in the third game of the 2025 NBA Finals.
The site’s formula predicts that Oklahoma City will defeat Indiana in Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Dimers: Thunder 117, Pacers 111
It writes: “After extensive simulations, our model gives the Thunder a win probability of 68%, while the Pacers have a win probability of 32%.”
CBS Sports: Thunder 113, Pacers 110
Eric Cohen writes: “I missed the Game 2 score by ONE point so time to see if I can nail it right on the head. Unlike Game 2, Wednesday night’s game will be close throughout, but I think the Thunder steals one on the road. Sunday’s contest flew over in the second half but I would be very surprised if we saw anything close to 130 points in the third and fourth quarters this time around so the under is preferred. League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to torch Indiana and the Pacers will have no answer for him yet again. He’s averaging 37.5 points per game against them this season and will score somewhere between 30-35 on Wednesday night. Haliburton has only registered 12 assists against the Thunder in this series but before that, he had 10+ in 9 of the team’s first 16 playoff games. At +265, that’s an incredible value that I can’t pass up. McConnell continues to be a spark plug off the bench for Indiana and has registered 14 and 20 PRA in this series despite playing less than 20 minutes per game. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gilgeous-Alexander hit a game winner with close to no time left on the clock as Haliburton did in Game 1. After watching the domination in Game 2, I’m confident that Oklahoma City wins this series in six games.”
FOX Sports: Thunder 119, Pacers 110
It writes: “Out of 82 games thus far this season, the Thunder have played 44 with more than 228 points scored, their current matchup’s total. A total of 53 Pacers games this season (out of 82) have had more than 228 total points scored. Between them, these two teams average 9.9 more points per game (237.9) than this game’s over/under (228).”
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.