OKLAHOMA CITY — After a stunning 111-110 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed the fourth-quarter collapse and Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winner. After Gilgeous-Alexander missed in the paint, Haiburton’s go-ahead 21-footer found the bottom of the net with 0.3 seconds left on the clock.
After the loss, Gilgeous-Alexander discussed Haliburton’s game-winning shot during his media availability.
“I don’t know it happened so fast,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He got down going right, pulled up for the middy, and knocked down the shot. I don’t know, it didn’t feel like anything crazy. He just made a play with time winding down. Made a good play.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot:
“I don’t know it happened so fast… it didn’t feel like anything crazy. He just made a play with time winding down. Made a good play” pic.twitter.com/Y8c1ixlztR
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) June 6, 2025
Haliburton finished with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting. His game-winning basket topped a 12-3 Pacers run after Indiana erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit. The Pacers went 6-for-10 from deep in the final frame. Obi Toppin finished 5-for-8 from three, and Pascal Siakam’s double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds) led six players in double figures.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault reminded reporters of the Pacers’ track record as they extend on an impressive run to take a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
“That’s a really good team. Credit them for not only tonight but their run,” Daigneault said. “They’ve had so many games like that that have seemed improbable, and they just play with a great spirit. They keep coming. They keep playing. They made plays. They made shots. So, they deserve to win by a point. We have to learn from it.”
Mark Daigneault when asked if Game 1 was reminiscent of losing the series opener against the Nuggets:
“That’s a really good team. Credit them for not only tonight but their run. They’ve had so many games like that… they made plays. They made shots. So, they deserve to win” pic.twitter.com/cgaqR2xr1P
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) June 6, 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is confident in Thunder’s bounce-back
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team with 38 points in his NBA Finals debut. Despite coughing up a 15-point lead in the final frame, Gilgeous-Alexander is confident in his team’s ability to bounce back after losses, considering how the Thunder responded after losing Game 1 in their second-round series against the Nuggets. Will they do the same against Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers?
“We just gotta treat it like every other game, every other situation we’ve been in,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Yes, we haven’t been in this situation [in the Finals], but it doesn’t mean our character has to change or what we did last time. It’s still basketball. Still, the game of basketball that we grew up playing. The rules don’t change because we’re in the Finals. We’ve been in this situation before. In the other situation, we handled it well. We were better for Game 2, and that’s the goal.”
Mark Daigneault when asked if Game 1 was reminiscent of losing the series opener against the Nuggets:
“That’s a really good team. Credit them for not only tonight but their run. They’ve had so many games like that… they made plays. They made shots. So, they deserve to win” pic.twitter.com/cgaqR2xr1P
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) June 6, 2025
The Thunder will host the Pacers in Game 2 on Sunday.
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