Pacers vs. Thunder game 1 prediction, odds: 2025 nba finals pick, best bets

_Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information._ It’s not the NBA Finals

anyone envisioned, but two of the league’s smallest markets are competing for a ring in 2025.  Oklahoma City is a massive -800 series favorite at bet365, with the Pacers sitting at +550. 

These are the second-longest odds we have seen in an NBA Finals matchup since 2005, with the only bigger favorites being the 2017-18 Warriors, who were -1075 against LeBron James and the

Cleveland Cavaliers in his final year before heading to Hollywood.  In Game 1, the Pacers are big 9.5-point road underdogs with the moneyline coming in at +340. Indiana has been excellent on

the road, going 6-2 away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse this postseason.  It will require a herculean effort to replicate that against a Thunder team that is 80-18 between the regular season

and playoffs.  EXPLORE MORE We’ve talked about the Pacers’ ability to dominate late in games, but some cracks in the armor reared their ugly heads at the back-end of that Knicks series.  For

starters, the bench appeared to give the Pacers some problems once now ex-Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau opened up his lineups and gave some much-needed minutes to Landry Shamet and Delon

Wright.  Now, imagine Wright and Shamet being replaced with Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace and you have a tough time wearing down your opposition as the Pacers did the Knicks.  The Thunder

have too many pieces that they can call on if some of their starters need a rest, so I suspect Oklahoma City wins this series rather easily, at worst in six games, but likely before that. 

After posting a strong net rating through two rounds of the playoffs and early on against the Knicks, the Pacers cratered to the end the series and have a 0.0 net rating in final quarters

during the playoffs.  Indiana is 12-4 in the fourth quarter during the playoffs, the same record as the Thunder, but not all wins are created equal.  Twelve minutes played against the Denver

Nuggets is not the same as 12 minutes played against the Knicks or Heat.  ------------------------- BETTING ON THE NBA? ------------------------- Look to Oklahoma City to win this series

going away, thanks to suffocating defensive pressure and strong depth at all positions that should work against Indiana’s run-and-gun strategy.  Live bet the Thunder if the young team gets

first-half jitters and you can get them at plus-money, and back their fourth quarter against the spread price of -1.5 (-108).  THE PLAY: THUNDER FOURTH QUARTER -1.5 (-108, FANDUEL) WHY TRUST

NEW YORK POST BETTING Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the

player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.