NBA Finals 2025 Game 1: Live Score, Key Plays & Instant Highlights

The 2025 NBA Finals are dead even after Oklahoma City’s 31-17 fourth-quarter surge stunned Indiana 111-104 in Game 4, knotting the best-of-seven showdown at 2-2 and shifting the drama back to the Thunder’s Paycom Center for a pivotal Game 5 on Monday, June 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC). Key takeaways so far • Series scoreboard – Pacers W: 111-110, Thunder W: 123-107, Pacers W: 116-107, Thunder W: 111-104 • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 34.8 PPG, topping Allen Iverson’s 2001 mark for the most points through a player’s first four Finals games. • Indiana is 10-0 immediately following a loss since mid-March, the longest such streak in the league this season. • Home-court edge – OKC is 9-1 in these playoffs at Paycom Center, winning by an average of 25.7 points. Why Game 5 looms large Historically, teams that win a 2-2 Finals Game 5 go on to claim the title 73 percent of the time. With Indiana chasing its first NBA crown and Oklahoma City eyeing the franchise’s first since its Seattle days in 1979, Monday’s victor will seize more than momentum—it will grab the inside track to history. Match-up microscopes Thunder offense vs. Pacers pace • OKC leads the postseason in half-court offensive rating (1.11 PPP) thanks to relentless drives from Gilgeous-Alexander and secondary scorer Jalen Williams (20.7 PPG). • Indiana counters by turning miscues into transition threes; the Pacers’ 23.4 fast-break points per game top all playoff clubs. Paint protection • Chet Holmgren has swatted nine shots over the last two games, but Indiana outscored OKC 100-78 in the paint across Games 2-3 when Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam attacked early. • Watch Obi Toppin and Bennedict Mathurin; Rick Carlisle’s second unit produced a 49-18 bench scoring avalanche in Game 3 and could again stretch the Thunder’s bigs to the perimeter. X-factors to monitor 1. Three-point variance – Indiana’s starters are shooting just 31 percent from deep; one hot night from Aaron Nesmith or Andrew Nembhard could tilt a road game. 2. Turnovers – The Pacers gave it away 19 times in the Game-1 first half yet still stole the opener; when their miscues stay below 13, they are 34-8 this season. 3. Whistle watch – Luguentz Dort has already logged 14 fouls; limiting him could free Haliburton’s pick-and-roll wizardry. How to watch & stream • TV: ABC (coverage begins 8 p.m. ET) • Streaming: ESPN App, YouTube TV, Sling Orange • Radio: ESPN Radio nationwide Updated series schedule (all times Eastern) • Game 5 – Mon 6/16 @ OKC, 8:30 p.m. • Game 6 – Thu 6/19 @ IND, 8:30 p.m. • *Game 7 – Sun 6/22 @ OKC, 8 p.m. (*if necessary) Betting line & odds Caesars Sportsbook opened the Thunder as 7.5-point favorites for Game 5 and –220 on the updated championship futures board, while Indiana sits at +180 to capture its first Larry O’Brien Trophy. Bottom line Every possession now carries championship weight. If the Thunder ride their roaring home crowd and Shai’s MVP form to a Game-5 win, they’ll head to Indianapolis with two cracks at closing. But if the Pacers’ comeback magic strikes again, history suddenly tilts toward Indiana’s underdog narrative. Buckle up—Monday night could decide the 2025 NBA champion.