Who will take the lead?
The NBA Finals 2025 are moving from Oklahoma to Indianapolis for the first time! Find out which Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder tip is best for the third matchup in our preview! After a narrow away win for the Pacers in the opener, OKC responded promptly in the second duel.
The favorites for the title came out on top with a clear 123-107 victory. Oklahoma thus confirmed that it can cope well with defeat. Of the 20 games played after a defeat this season, OKC won no fewer than 18, and twelve times they managed to bounce back with a double-digit victory!
However, the visitors have been less effective offensively on the road this season compared to their home performances. As a result, they have lost the majority (3) of their last five away games in the postseason. For Game 3 between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the forecast is therefore a maximum of 117 points for OKC.
Indiana Pacers – Statistics & current form
Indiana has earned its place in the NBA Finals primarily through its tremendous resilience. The Pacers have regularly come back from large deficits in the postseason, one example being the first game of the series against OKC.
The Pacers were trailing by 15 points in the fourth quarter, but ultimately won the game. The last time a team came back from such a deficit in the final quarter was the Dallas Mavericks against Miami in 2011, and the Mavs’ coach at the time was Rick Carlisle, who is now at the helm in Indiana!
The Pacers are strong at home
In addition, the Pacers can now rely on home advantage: they have won six of their eight home games in the postseason. Against this backdrop, the odds for a home win or a defeat for the hosts by a maximum of five points are also attractive in Game 3 between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Statistics & current form
The highly talented team from the Northwest Division is young and, given this, has what it takes to win the title not only this season but also in the coming seasons. This is also supported by the fact that the franchise from the “Sooner State” still has a number of first-round picks at its disposal in the upcoming drafts.
However, the series against Indiana is tied at 1-1 after two games, so there is still a long way to go before the NBA crown is won. This is especially true given that home-court advantage in the 2025 NBA Finals currently lies with their opponents due to their opening defeat.
No more than 34 points from the MVP?
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains unstoppable. The MVP has scored 72 points in the two NBA Finals games so far, and no other player has scored more points in this year’s NBA playoffs. However, his scoring averages on the road, like the rest of the team, are lower than in the postseason home games.
Against this backdrop, the betting odds for less than 34.5 points by SGA in the third match between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder are also worth considering. This is a threshold that the Canadian has only exceeded in two of his seven away games in the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Indiana Pacers – Oklahoma City Thunder Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The Pacers’ last home game against OKC took place on December 27 last year and ended in a 114-120 defeat for the home side. Prior to that, the hosts had recorded two wins in front of their own fans against Oklahoma.
On top of that, looking back at the Pacers’ last seven home games against OKC, no more than two wins for the visitors can be found. For the upcoming edition of Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, however, the odds are now pointing towards a win for OKC.
Indiana Pacers – Oklahoma City Thunder Tip
In Game 3 between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the forecast is for no more than 117 points by the visitors. Coach Mark Daigneault’s team is less dominant on the road than at home in the Paycom Center.
This is easy to see from the fact that they have only exceeded the selected limit in one of their seven away games in the postseason. In addition, Indiana is comparatively strong defensively in front of their own crowd. The hosts have conceded an average of 111 points in their last four home games.
In their first home game in the finals in 25 years, the Indianapolis team will undoubtedly be extra motivated in front of their own fans. From this perspective, too, the Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder tip is well-founded.