Shai scores two of his record-setting 72 points through two career Finals games.
What will he have in store for Game 3 tomorrow (8:30 ET, ABC)?
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
June 10, 2025
Game 3 Stakes: Why Wednesday’s Game 3 is critical for both the Thunder & Pacers
Depth Delivers: Look beyond the All-Stars for decisive players in this Finals
Pacers’ Response: Indy hasn’t lost consecutive games in 3 months. Will the streak continue?
Game 2 Frames: Look back at OKC’s Game 2 win with eight of our favorite snapshots
Unforgettable: Why L.A.’s 2010 title is something Jaime Jaquez Jr. will never forget
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The Finals land in Indiana…
The NBA Finals have shifted to Indiana for Games 3 and 4. Today, the teams hit the practice court and meet the media. Watch live on the NBA App and NBA TV at 12:30 ET from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
1. WHAT’S ON THE LINE IN GAME 3?
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
The Thunder or Pacers will be the 79th champion in NBA history.
Of the first 78 teams to win the title, 41 faced the same scenario that lies ahead for Indiana and Oklahoma City on Wednesday – Game 3 with the series tied at 1-1.
How critical has this game been throughout Finals history?
In such scenarios, the winner of Game 3 in an NBA Finals tied at 1-1 has gone on to win the series – and the title – 80.5% of the time (33-8).
- When the home team wins, they have gone on to win the series 66.7% of the time (12-6)
- When the road team wins, they have gone on to win the series 91.3% of the time (21-2)
- Note: This excludes the 2020 Finals, which was played at a neutral site
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
How will the Thunder and Pacers respond to such a high-stakes game on the brightest stage?
- First-Time Feeling: Indiana yet to face a 1-1 series scenario during its run to the Finals
- The Pacers led each of their first three series 2-0 – winning Games 1 & 2 at home against the 5-seed Bucks in the first round and winning Games 1 & 2 on the road against the 1-seed Cavs (East Semis) and 3-seed Knicks (East Finals)
- Odds Beaters: OKC faced this exact scenario in the West Semis against Denver – losing Game 1 at home in the final three seconds, winning Game 2 and then facing Game 3 on the road
- The Thunder lost Game 3 to the Nuggets, but bounced back to win Games 4 & 5 and clinch the series in Game 7. OKC not only beat Denver, they beat Playoff history as 74.2% of Game 3 winners when tied 1-1 went on to win the series
- Of course, making historic comebacks and beating the odds has been a theme of the 2025 postseason. So, while the winner of tomorrow’s Game 3 takes the driver’s seat, these Playoffs have proven that no lead is ever truly safe
Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images
When we look at how we got to this 1-1 Finals as the series shifts to Indy for Games 3 and 4, we have to start with the All-NBA matchup between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton. | Finals MVP Ladder
The star guards traded haymakers in the first two games of the series.
- Game 1 saw Haliburton add to his legend, hitting his fourth game-winning or game-tying shot in the final five seconds of a game this postseason. His pull-up jumper gave Indiana its only lead with 0.3 seconds left
- Game 2 saw Gilgeous-Alexander respond with a masterful performance, dissecting the Pacers’ defense for 34 points and 8 assists, while also adding 5 rebounds, 4 steals and a block in a true two-way showcase for the MVP
Which superstar will show out on Wednesday to give their squad an edge and move them within two wins of the championship? Or will it be someone else step up to take the spotlight?
2. DEPTH DELIVERS: PLAYERS THAT CAN SWING A GAME OR SERIES
When we focus too closely on individual stars, we can miss the entire galaxy that surrounds them.
- Haliburton’s game-winner will forever live in Finals lore. But it wouldn’t have been possible without Pascal Siakam (19 pts, 10 reb), Andrew Nembhard (14 pts, 6 ast), Obi Toppin (17 pts, 5 3pm), Myles Turner (15 pts, 9 reb) and Aaron Nesmith (10 pts, 12 reb) in Game 1
- Those players kept the Pacers within striking distance all game – not allowing an OKC thunderstorm to put them down by more than 15 – and helped rally to put Haliburton in position to be the hero
- SGA’s 4th straight 30+ point game – and 13th of this postseason – got a boost from Alex Caruso (20 pts, 4 3pm) and Aaron Wiggins (18 pts, 5 3pm) coming up big off the bench, as well as a group effort to contain Haliburton
- Lu Dort (2 pts allowed in 4:43 of matchup time) led that charge, while Jalen Williams, Caruso, SGA and Cason Wallace also spent 1+ defensive minutes on Indy’s star. The team collectively limited Haliburton to 17 points and 5 turnovers
- Co-Stars Rebound: In Game 1, Williams and Chet Holmgren combined for 23 pts on 28.6% shooting, forcing SGA to carry more of the offense (38 pts on 30 FGA)
- In Game 2, the duo combined for 34 pts on 44% shooting, allowing SGA to have a more efficient 34 pts on 21 shots
Winning Indicators: Whether it’s through scoring, shooting, rebounding or defense, role players can serve as barometers of team success. Keep an eye out for these key stats in Game 3.
- Indy’s Scorers: The Pacers are a perfect 11-0 this postseason when Nembhard scores 12+ points (they’re 2-5 when he doesn’t). Indy is 7-1 when Siakam scores 20+ points
- Indiana Range: The Pacers are 6-0 this postseason when Turner splashes at least two 3s. Obi Toppin only needs one – Indy is 10-1 when he hits a triple in this Playoff run
- J-Dub’s Offense: The Thunder are 11-1 this postseason when Williams scores 18+ points. That 91.6% win rate is higher than their regular season rate when J-Dub hit 18 points (77.4%, 41-12)
- Chet’s Rim Protection: The Thunder are 8-2 when Holmgren blocks at least two shots in the Playoffs, which is on par with his regular season impact (17-3 with 2+ blocks)
- Wallace Effect: Similar to Toppin, Wallace only needs to hit one three to push the odds towards the Thunder. They’re 9-1 in the Playoffs and went 40-8 in the regular season with a Wallace splash
3. HOW WILL INDIANA RESPOND BACK HOME IN GAME 3?
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
It has been exactly three months since the Indiana Pacers have lost consecutive games.
Every time they’ve been knocked down since March 10, they’ve had a winning response.
- A Perfect 8-0: The Pacers closed the regular season 15-4, going 4-0 following a loss. The Pacers are 13-5 in the Playoffs, and bring a 4-0 record following a loss into Wednesday night’s Game 3
- The Numbers: Across eight games following a loss, Indy has averaged 130.5 ppg, shooting 51.8% overall and 42.8% from three, while dishing out 32.9 assists to only 13.5 turnovers. Add it up and you get a 17.1-point average margin of victory
- Chasing History: After a stunning Game 1 loss, the Thunder bounced back emphatically in Game 2 to even the series. Now it is the Pacers’ turn to respond
Similar to the Thunder in Game 2, the Pacers will look to feed off their home crowd as they seek to bounce back from their first Finals loss.
The Pacers are 6-2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse during the postseason – and see some specific advantages playing in their house.
- Putting The ‘Pace’ In Pacers: Indiana plays at a faster pace at home (99.46) than on the road (97.93) this postseason, and average 3.5 more fast break points per game at home (16.8) than they do on the road (13.3)
- Scoring Balance: Eight different Pacers average 9+ points per game at home, compared to six on the road during the Playoffs
- Stars Shine Brighter: It’s often said that role players play better at home. For Indiana, that applies to its All-Stars as well. Pascal Siakam (22.0 ppg, 56.7% at home) averages 2.5 more points and shoots eight percent better at home, while Tyrese Haliburton averages nearly an additional dime at home (9.8) vs. road (9.0)
- Getting Defensive: While Indy’s offense sees a 1.4 pts per 100 possession rise at home (117.5) vs. road (116.1), Indy’s defense gets a 3.9 pts per 100 bump at home (111.8) vs. road (115.7)
- “As we go home, we’re going to need our crowd to be just like this crowd was (at Paycom Center). I mean, these fans took it to another level tonight and that’s how Gainbridge is going to have to be for us to have a chance to be successful.” – Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle on home-court advantage
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
One key player to watch for Indiana is Haliburton, who’s been a master at balancing scoring and playmaking during Indy’s postseason run, but has gotten off to slow starts in each of the first two games of the Finals.
- In the first three quarters of Games 1 and 2 combined, Haliburton has 15 points on 37.5% FG (6-16), 27.3% 3P (3-11), with 9 assists and 6 turnovers
- In the 4th quarters of Games 1 and 2 combined, he has 16 points on 70% FG (7-10), 50% 3P (2-4) with 3 assists and 2 turnovers
- “I’ve had two really poor first halves. I just have to figure out how to be better earlier in games. But kudos to them. They are a great defensive team but watch the film and see where I can get better.” – Haliburton’s assessment after Game 2
4. GAME 2 FRAMES: CAPTURING A THUNDEROUS RESPONSE
Before the NBA Finals tips off for the first time in Indianapolis in 25 years, let’s take one more look back at OKC’s Game 2 win with eight of our favorite frames from Sunday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander / Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Myles Turner | Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Pascal Siakam vs. Chet Holmgren | Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Chet Holmgren | Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Cason Wallace vs. Tyrese Haliburton | Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Pascal Siakam | Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
5. UNFORGETTABLE: POTS, PANS & JAIME JAQUEZ JR.’S FAVORITE FINALS MOMENT
Born just outside of L.A. in Feb. 2001– in the middle of Shaq & Kobe Lakers three-peat – Jaime Jaquez Jr. was destined to be a Lakers fan.
Long before becoming a high school standout that led him to star at UCLA for four seasons before entering the 2023 NBA Draft, where he was selected 18th by Miami, Jaquez Jr. was a young basketball fan rooting for his favorite team in the NBA Playoffs.
After finishing his second season with the Heat, Jaquez Jr. was in OKC for Game 2 of the 2025 Finals, serving as an NBA player correspondent to share an all-access view of the Finals from a current player’s perspective.
When we caught up with Jaime after Game 2, he took us back to his childhood to recall his favorite Finals moment.
“My favorite Finals memory ever was probably in 2010 when the Lakers went back to the Finals and beat the Boston Celtics. That was my favorite – watching Kobe Bryant win his fifth ring.
“I was a huge Kobe Bryant fan and two years before they lost to Paul Pierce and the Celtics, and I was really upset about that.
“So when they went back and it was a rematch and the Lakers got the win, I remember going out into the middle of the street banging pots and pans saying that the Lakers just won the championship.
“I mean just the love of the game carries over until now. Just loving basketball, loving this sport and what this does to people in their hearts.”
