Thunder’s Mark Daigneault Sends Clear Pacers Message After NBA Finals Game 1 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals did not go the Oklahoma City Thunder’s way on Thursday night as they were defeated at home by the Indiana Pacers.
Early on it looked as though it was going to be another blowout victory for the Thunder as they forced 19 turnovers in the first half and held a 12-point lead at halftime.
Instead, the Pacers were able to keep the deficit manageable as they were able to complete another comeback in the fourth quarter after Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds remaining, the only time Indiana led in the game.
HALI DOES IT AGAIN
O.M.G. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/DOhawajLCy
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 6, 2025
This was a disappointing collapse by the Thunder as they struggled offensively in the fourth quarter and allowed the Pacers to steal Game 1 on the road.
After the game, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault met with the media where he sent a clear message about the Pacers and also discussed what the team can take away from the loss.
“The common denominator is them. That’s a really good team, credit them…. We gotta learn from it. There’s obviously a lot of things we can clean up,” Daigneault said after Game 1 on Thursday.
Mark Daigneault on the Pacers comeback “The common denominator is them. That’s a really good team, credit them….We gotta learn from it. There’s obviously a lot of things we can clean up.”
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) June 6, 2025
Daigneault credited the Pacers for their fourth-quarter comeback and it is clear that the Thunder have multiple areas where they need to improve after letting Game 1 slip away.
Of course, the Thunder struggled on the offensive end outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort as the rest of the roster struggled to find their shot.
It will also be interesting to see whether Daigneault elects to return to their previous lineup that had Isaiah Hartenstein starting instead of Cason Wallace who was inserted into the starting lineup on Thursday.
Either way, Oklahoma City now faces a potential must-win situation at home on Sunday night in Game 2 as they try to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole before the series shifts to Indiana.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.