2025 NBA Finals Odds - Thunder at Pacers Game 3 Lines

2025 NBA Finals Betting Online

The Oklahoma City Thunder has been building for this moment for the last few years. During the 2021-22 season they were a miserable 24-58, though it was actually a two-game improvement from the season before. Some savvy trades and shrewd draft picks lined them up for success, most notably was the acquisition of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a deal with the Clippers for Paul George. SGA has averaged more than 30 points in each of the last three seasons with a NBA best 32.7 this past regular season. It was enough to earn him league MVP. The Thunder ended the regular season with a league best and franchise record 68 wins to earn the top seed in the Western Conference for a second straight season. They used the disappointment of a second round series loss last year as motivation to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.

NBA Betting Lines

Thunder at Pacers Game 3 Betting Lines

Oklahoma City Thunder -5.5

Indiana Pacers +5.5

Total: 228.5

Money Line: Thunder -221, Pacers +184

2025 NBA Finals

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (4) Indiana Pacers

Series Tied 1-1

* If Necessary

Seeded No. 4 in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers took out Milwaukee in the first round and knocked off top seeded Cleveland in the second round, losing only one game in each of the series. Their offensive firepower was too much for the New York Knicks in the East Final scoring at least 125 points in three of their four wins. Indy clinched the series with a 125-108 win in Game 6 getting 31 points from series MVP Pascal Siakam. The Pacers got hot over the final month of the season closing the regular season with 15 wins in their last 19 games to reach the 50-win mark for the first time in a decade. They continued their run in the postseason making the conference final for a second straight year. They were 50/1 in the preseason to win the NBA championship.

Both teams are efficient on offense with the Pacers second during the postseason in scoring at 117.4 points per game and the Thunder third with 117.1. In their four playoff losses the Pacers averaged fewer than 100 points. And OKC can play defense with the best teams in the NBA, which could make all the difference. They allowed the third fewest points during the regular season and have been even better in the playoffs. The Thunder is the most efficient team in the NBA with a net rating of +12.8.

Both teams are looking for their first NBA Championship, though they have had success in their history. The OKC franchise made three NBA Finals appearances and won the title during the 1978-79 campaign when it was based in Seattle. The Pacers played in five championship series and won three titles during their time in the American Basketball Association (ABA) before being absorbed by the NBA in the late 1970s.

Only five NBA teams have never made it to the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, and New Orleans Pelicans have yet to win a conference title.

NBA Finals Winners (2000)

The NBA Finals pits the winner of the Eastern Conference against the winner of the Western Conference. The teams play a best-of-seven series to determine the league’s champion. The winner of the series is awarded the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. The NBA Finals has a format of 2-2-1-1-1, although from 1985 to 2013 it had a 2-3-2 format.

A total of 21 franchises have won the NBA Finals, with the Celtics holding the record for the most titles with 18. Boston won a record eight consecutive championships from 1959-1966 beating the Lakers five times during that run. That matchup is the most frequent with the clubs meeting 12 times. The Lakers have appeared in the most NBA Finals with their 32 trips nine more than Boston. The Eastern Conference has 41 wins, while the Western Conference has 37 wins.

Even though the format of the NBA Finals hasn't always been the same, the goal has remained. The two conference champions ultimately play against each other, and the first to win four games is crowned NBA champion. Amazingly, just eight of the series all-time dating back to 1949 have ended in sweeps, while 18 of the series have ended in seven games, most recently, the epic Game 7 between the Cavaliers and the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

A few teams had spurts of greatness like the New York Knicks in the early 1970s reaching the Finals three times in four years with two titles. Detroit’s “Bad Boys” in the late 1980s reached the Finals three straight seasons winning two titles. And of course, the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan in the 1990s with a pair of three peats. More recently the Golden State Warriors went to five Finals in a row and their 2022 title was their fourth in an eight-year span.

The Celtics and Lakers have combined to win 35 championships while the rest of the teams have combined to win just 43 titles. The biggest sin about the whole thing is how many franchises have never even sniffed the NBA Finals. There are now five teams who have never been to the NBA Finals (Timberwolves, Pelicans, Hornets, Grizzlies and Clippers) and five others who have been and have never won it (Pacers, Magic, Nets, Jazz and Suns). The Sacramento Kings won the NBA championship in 1951 as the Rochester Royals – a lot of good that does fans in Northern California – while the Seattle SuperSonics won their title in 1979 – Oklahoma City fans couldn't care less about that.

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