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AMMAN — Indiana Pacers lead 1-0 in the final series of the NBA Finals in Oklahoma on Friday morning when Tyrese Haliburton's clutch shot decided the match. Oklahoma Thunders had a comfortable lead in the last minute and 110-109, when the MVP of the league Shai Gilgeus-Alexander could've sealed the game, but instead the visitors pulled out one more upset this season and won 111-110. A buzzer-beater shot in the play-offs can be a career-defining moment for a basketballer and it would highlight his legacy as a super-star.
Haliburton is building a collection of these shots throughout Indiana’s play-off run. It was Haliburton’s fourth go-ahead or game-tying bucket in the final five seconds of the 4th quarter or overtime this postseason — and the fifth of his career.
Although Haliburton finished the match with relatively humble 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, he hit the basket when it mattered the most. Pascal Siakam scored 19 points with 10 rebounds in the winning team, Obi Toppin and Myles Turner added 17 and 15 points, while in the host team SGA scored phantastic 38 points, while Jalen Williams added 17 points.
The outcome of the game shocked the host's fans but they will have another chance on Saturday in the Game 2 that will be played at the same venue. Neither team has even won the championship ring and this series is a completely new experience for them. The final is played on four wins.
The Pacers turned the ball over 25 times, trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter against a team with the best home record in the NBA and had no answers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“We had control of the game for the most part," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Now, it's a 48-minute game. And they teach you that lesson more than anyone else in the league - the hard way.”
“Man, basketball's fun,” Haliburton said. “Winning is fun.”