The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. According to all the NBA odds, Thunder is the favorite not just to win this matchup but also the entire series.
Indiana Pacers News
Indiana is on fire lately, eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks, then the No. 1 seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and eventually routing the Knicks in six games. Pascal Siakam won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award. The former NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors is the No.1 scorer for the Pacers in the playoffs with 21.1 points per game.
Meanwhile, the most important player is Tyrese Haliburton who has 18.8 points and 9.8 assists, with just 1.9 lost possessions per game. Indiana Pacers have eight players who score 8 or more points per game.
OKC Thunder News
The team from OKC was superb against the Memphis Grizzlies, whom they eliminated in four games. They then had to play the Denver Nuggets in seven games and eventually beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in five matches in the Western Conference finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivers 29.1 points per game, and the new NBA MVP is still the top threat to all the rivals’ defenses. However, Jalen Williams isn’t getting the credit he deserves. The strong guard has 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, playing one hell of a defense.
Indiana Pacers vs. OKC Thunder Head to Head
The Thunder won both meetings during the regular season. The first was in Indiana, 120-114, and the second in OKC, 132-111.
Indiana Pacers vs. OKC Thunder Game 1 Betting Predictions
Indiana is playing fast and very aggressive basketball, yet we’re unsure whether they can match OKC’s defensive intensity. Game 1 will give us plenty of answers on that, but overall, we back up the Thunder to win Game 1 by at least 6 points.
- Betting Tip: Thunder -5.5
- Bookmaker: BetUS
- Odds: 1.71
BetUS
Place your bet on Indiana Pacers vs. OKC Thunder at BetUS