OKLAHOMA CITY -- Tyrese Haliburton scored with 0.3 seconds left for Indiana's first and only lead of the game and the Pacers, the last-minute comeback kings of these playoffs, did it again to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
The Pacers were down by 15 points with 9:42 left, matching the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in a finals game since Dallas came from 15 points down to beat Miami on June 2, 2011.
The coach of those Mavericks: Rick Carlisle. The coach of these Pacers: Rick Carlisle.
And once again, Indiana found a way at the end in these playoffs. On April 29, it trailed Milwaukee 118-111 with 34.6 seconds left in overtime and won 119-118. On May 6, the Pacers trailed Cleveland 119-112 with 48 seconds left and won 120-119. On May 21, they trailed New York 121-112 with 51.1 seconds left in regulation and won 138-135 in overtime.
Now, this.
"We just had to hang in. The first half was rough," Carlisle said. "They go up by 15 and we just said hey, let's just keeping pounding the rock and try to chip away at it. We have a lot of experience in these kind of games. The guys have a feel for what it's all about and giving ourselves a chance. We got fortunate, but (we) made plays."
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points. Obi Toppin scored 17, Myles Turner had 15, and Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each had 14.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's Most Valuable Player, led all scorers with 38 points for Oklahoma City, which was 36-1 at home when holding 15-point leads this season.
"The common denominator is them. ... Credit to them," Oklahoma City Coach Mark Daigneault said of the Pacers. "They went and got that game. ... Would have liked to have got the game, but we need to be better in Game 2."
Gilgeous-Alexander missed a jumper on the Thunder's possession before Haliburton's winning shot.
"I thought I had a pretty good look and it didn't go in," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Then they had a good look and it went in. That's basketball. It is what it is. ... The series isn't the first to one. It's the first to four."
Game 2 is at Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
"This arena is madness. From a road perspective, the decibels were insane," Carlisle said. "But now we've got keep our eye on the ball."
Oklahoma City led by 15 early in the fourth when Carlisle called time and subbed out all five players, seeking a spark. It worked. The Pacers outscored the Thunder 15-4 over the next 3:26 -- getting within 98-94 on a three-pointer by Turner with 6:16 left.
They never stopped, all the way to the end.
The Pacers committed 19 turnovers in the first half of Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. It was the highest number of turnovers by a team before halftime of a postseason game during the league's digital play-by-play era, which goes back to the 1997 playoffs.
There has not been a 20-turnover first half in any NBA game since Nov. 17, 2007, when the New Jersey Nets -- the franchise that now plays in Brooklyn -- had that many in the first two quarters of what became a 91-87 loss to the Miami Heat.
The Pacers had nine turnovers in the first quarter, 10 more in the second. But they were only down 57-45 at the half, in part because Oklahoma City had turned the 19 Indiana giveaways into only nine points.
Oklahoma City led the NBA this season in turnovers forced, averaging 17.0 per game in the regular season.
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (Kyle Terada/Pool Photo via AP)
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (Kyle Terada/Pool Photo via AP)
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after a dunk during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Indiana Pacers Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after a dunk during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Indiana Pacers Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrateswith center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) after a dunk during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Indiana Pacers Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrateswith center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) after a dunk during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Indiana Pacers Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) shoots against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) shoots against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)