NBA Finals: Haliburton’s heroics help Pacers steal last-second win over Thunder in Game 1
Tyrese Haliburton drills the game-winner as the Indiana Pacers erase a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter
Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton sank the game-winning basket in the final second to give the Pacers a stunning 111-110 fightback victory over Oklahoma City in Friday’s opening game of the NBA Finals.
Haliburton, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds, gave the Pacers their only lead of the game on a dramatic 21-foot jump shot with 0.3 of a second remaining to deliver a shocker after Indiana had trailed by 15 points with 9:42 remaining.
“We got the stop and coach trusts us in those moments to not call a timeout, trusts me in those moments, guys trust me and just trying to make a play,” Haliburton said of the last shot.
“Basketball is fun, man, winning is fun,” he added in an on-court interview. “That’s a great win for us.”
With a game-closing 14-2 run, the Pacers seized a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, with game two on Sunday at Oklahoma City.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points while reserve Obi Toppin added 17, Myles Turner had 15 and Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each added 14.