Tyrese Haliburton approached the final seconds with unwavering confidence, a mindset developed through multiple playoff performances.
The Indiana Pacers guard delivered a 20-foot pull-up jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining Thursday, completing a dramatic comeback in a 111-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
This marked Haliburton’s fourth crucial shot in closing seconds during the 2025 playoffs. The Pacers had not held a lead until his game-winning basket.
“Ultimate confidence in himself,” teammate Myles Turner observed. “Some players will say they have it, but there are other players that show it. He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn’t shy away from that moment.”
Haliburton’s playoff clutch moments include a driving layup with 1.3 seconds left in overtime during Game 5 against Milwaukee, ending that first-round series. In the second round’s Game 2, he hit a step-back three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining against Cleveland. During the Eastern Conference finals’ opening game, he connected on another step-back shot against New York, initially appearing to be a game-winner before being ruled a two-pointer that forced overtime.
Indiana faced a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit before mounting their comeback. Though the Pacers reduced the margin to one point in the final seconds, Oklahoma City possessed the ball with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league MVP, positioned to close out the game.
Andrew Nembhard’s tenacious defense on Gilgeous-Alexander forced a missed fadeaway attempt, creating the opportunity for Haliburton’s heroics.
With 11 seconds remaining, coach Rick Carlisle opted against calling timeout. Haliburton worked against Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace, driving inside the three-point line before executing his pull-up shot, which briefly bounced around the rim before falling through.
“I had a pretty good idea,” Haliburton said regarding whether he knew the shot would connect.
Indiana secured victory despite committing 25 turnovers in Game 1.
“It’s not the recipe to win,” Haliburton acknowledged. “We can’t turn the ball over that much, but come May and June, it doesn’t matter how you get ’em, just get ’em.”
The best-of-seven series continues with Game 2 on Sunday in Oklahoma City.
Game 1 proved disappointing for the Thunder, who led throughout most of the contest. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points, while Oklahoma City managed only 11 points from Indiana’s turnovers, including nine from the Pacers’ 20 first-half giveaways.
“The series isn’t first to one, it’s first to four,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “So we have four more games to get. They have three, and that’s just where we are.”
The Pacers began their comeback after trailing by 15 early in the fourth quarter. Nembhard and Turner each contributed eight points during the period. Indiana reduced the deficit to one point with 48.6 seconds remaining on Pascal Siakam’s putback following Nembhard’s missed three-point attempt.
Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Obi Toppin added 17 points off the bench, Turner scored 15, and Nembhard contributed 14. Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
For Oklahoma City, Jalen Williams scored 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting, while Chet Holmgren struggled with six points on 2-of-9 shooting.
The Thunder held a 94-79 advantage with 9:42 remaining, but Indiana responded with a 15-4 run to remain competitive before surging ahead late. Oklahoma City managed just one field goal in the final four minutes, providing the opening for Indiana’s comeback.
“We played like we were trying to keep the lead instead of trying to extend it or be aggressive,” Williams reflected.
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