Haliburton's Heroics Seal the Win

For nearly the entire game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the court, outplaying Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers. However, as Pacers coach Rick Carlisle aptly noted, basketball is a 48-minute game. In the final 20 seconds, Haliburton and the Pacers flipped the script once again.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 38 points but was 14-for-30 shooting, missed a crucial midrange jumper that would have given the Thunder a three-point lead with 10 seconds left. Haliburton then stepped up, hitting a circus shot that, while not as spectacular as his high-bouncing miracle at Madison Square Garden on May 21, won the game for the Pacers in regulation.

Pacers' Remarkable Comeback

Indiana never led until Haliburton's shot from just inside the 3-point arc dropped through with 0.3 seconds left, securing a 111-110 victory over the heavily favored Thunder. This win injected a massive amount of life into the series.

For much of Game 1, the Thunder dictated the terms of engagement, forcing Indiana into 24 turnovers compared to only six for Oklahoma City. Despite taking 16 more shots than the Pacers, the Thunder missed a whole bunch of them (11-for-30), while the Pacers hit 18 3-pointers, including 6-for-10 in the fourth quarter.

Thunder's Defensive Struggles

The first half displayed the Thunder's defensive fury at its finest, forcing 19 turnovers while holding the Pacers to 45 points. However, it didn't hold up in the second half. Indiana looked comfortable after halftime, putting up 66 points in the second half—35 in the fourth quarter—to pull off the upset.

What to Watch for in Game 2

Game 2: Pacers at Thunder (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Can Indiana do it again? This is the third consecutive series in which the Pacers have taken Game 1 on the road, and each of the past two times, they also won Game 2 to take a commanding 2-0 lead. Teams that lose Game 1 at home are heavy favorites to even the series, but the Pacers have shown they are not to be underestimated.

Credit the Pacers for not being satisfied and taking leads that proved insurmountable. Doing so against a Thunder team that has lost consecutive games only twice all season will be the toughest test yet.