Indiana Pacers left with a 2-win target for their first championship trophy after a disappointing Game 5 loss

Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals brought in a win for the Oklahoma City Thunder with a significant margin over the Indiana Pacers, breaking the series tie and the Thunder leading with a 3-2. With just two games left for the series to conclude, it becomes very crucial for the Pacers to rack up a win in both the games in order to claim their first-ever championship trophy.

2025 NBA finals stand at a 3-2 lead favoring Oklahoma City Thunder after a 11-point lead in Game 5

Indiana Pacers took a surprising lead in the 2025 NBA Finals series with their win in Game 1. Point guard Tyrese Haliburton shifted the game in the Pacers’ favor with his last-minute 2-point dunk, which turned the tables totally. Prior to the commencement of the finals series, analysts believed that the finals would be a one-sided affair favoring the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the Pacers team has proved them wrong with their stunning performance, resulting in a tough competition for the Thunder.It was not long before the Thunder bounced back to secure a win against the Pacers in Game 2 with a 16-point lead and the NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring the highest with 34 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. The series, which was then tied at 1-1, was soon overtaken by the Pacers in Game 3 with a 9-point lead.Until then, the Pacers had posed serious and tough competition to the Thunder, who were expected to win the championship trophy comfortably.

Game 4 once again saw the Thunder emerge out of the slump and rack up a win with a 7-point lead. In this match, the Pacers took a lead and maintained their dominance over the Thunder till the 3rd quarter. The fourth quarter saw a comeback from the Thunder, with Gilgeous-Alexander alone scoring 14 points.Game 5 saw a strong domination from the Thunder across the first and second quarter while losing it in the 3rd quarter and then securing a win with a lead in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder team took a 14-point lead towards the second half, which made it difficult for the Pacers to fill up with the 6-point lead in the 3rd quarter and the Thunder securing a 3-point lead in the 4th quarter. Pacers’ power forward Pascal Siakam, despite the defeat left a mark scoring 28 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Also read: “I am glad he’s injured” - NBA analyst Stephen A Smith gives explosive comments on Tyrese Haliburton’s injury during Game 5 of NBA FinalsWith Thunder winning Game 5, the series is now tied at 3-2, which makes it mandatory for the Pacers to win the rest of the 2 games in order to secure the championship trophy. This is the second time the Pacers have made it to the NBA finals. The first time was in 2000, when the team lost the trophy to the Los Angeles Lakers by a final series stat of 4-2.