2025 NBA Finals Betting Tips
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers go toe-to-toe in the 2025 NBA Finals – a showdown few predicted at the start of the season.
OKC go into their first Finals appearance since 2012 as the strong favourites to win out over the seven-game series having been the most impressive team throughout the season.
With victories over the higher-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks in the bag, the Pacers have already caused a couple of shocks on their way to their first Finals since 2000.
Can they spring another surprise against the Thunder?
Tip 1 – Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA Championship @ 2/15
Despite finishing the regular season with a 68-14 record – the best in the league – many pundits felt Oklahoma would fall short in the playoffs due to their lack of big-game experience.
Mark Daigneault’s men have so far proved the doubters wrong and head into the NBA Finals, having already seen off the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves to get this far.
OKC lost just 14 of their 82 regular season games and only Denver have run them close in the postseason, with the Thunder ending up 4-3 winners in the Western Conference semi-finals.
In contrast, Rick Carlisle’s Indiana finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, with a 20-20 record on the road.
A 4-1 first-round success over the Milwaukee Bucks made people sit up and take notice while a 4-2 victory over the Knicks in the Conference Finals got them to the NBA Finals for the first time since the Reggie Miller era.
The Pacers are up against it when considering their record against the Thunder, having lost in both meetings with OKC this season.
The Thunder enjoyed a 120-114 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse back in December, before a more emphatic 132-111 success on their home court in Oklahoma.
Tip 2 – Jalen Williams to win NBA Finals MVP @ 20/1
There’s no doubt who has been the star man in the league, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named as the 2024/25 NBA MVP.
The OKC guard also won the regular season scoring title, averaging 32.7 points across the 76 games he played.
His scoring levels have dropped slightly during the playoffs but he has still averaged 29.8 during the 16 postseason match-ups while posting increases in rebounds and assists.
Having scored a combined 78 points in the two meetings with the Pacers this year, it’s not a surprise that he is an odds-on favourite to add the NBA Finals MVP crown to his growing collection.
Indiana will have to focus on trying to stop Gilgeous-Alexander to have any chance of coming out on top across the best-of-seven series.
That might leave the path open for someone else to shine for OKC – and the most likely person to step up is Jalen Williams.
The small forward – an NBA All-Star for the first time this year – averaged 21.6 points during the regular season and has a 20.4 average during the playoffs.
Tyrese Haliburton, a 13/2 chance for NBA Finals MVP, will be the key figure for the Pacers hopes, with the former Sacramento Kings point guard enjoying a stellar season.
In game four of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, Haliburton became the first player in NBA Playoffs history to achieve at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists with zero turnovers.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation