Game 2 of the NBA Finals is set for tip-off from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
The pregame narrative: In Game 1, the Thunder were the latest victims of the Indiana Pacers’ never-say-die tendencies. Indiana wiped away a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter for yet another stunning victory. OKC is a massive favourite to even the series tonight.
Check out my Pacers vs. Thunder SGP predictions for Game 2 on June 8, featuring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard.
Pacers vs. Thunder predictions
Parlay: Gilgeous-Alexander 30+ points | Nembhard over 4.5 assists | Haliburton under 18.5 points (+300)
Gilgeous-Alexander 30+ points (-278): It’s hard to view 30 points as a given, but it’s in that range for Gilgeous-Alexander on a nightly basis.
- The NBA MVP averaged a league-high 32.7 PPG this season.
- He has 30+ points in 12 of his past 15 playoff games.
- He scored 38 points in Game 1 on mediocre shooting (14-of-30).
If SGA takes 30 shots again, this is really going to feel like a lock. And I wouldn’t say that’s out of the question.
Gilgeous-Alexander attempted 55 shots over the final two games of the Western Conference finals. Everyone knows that the OKC offence runs through him, but that doesn’t mean there’s an easy way to stop it.
OKC can ill afford to go down 0-2 in the Finals, obviously. The Hamilton, Ontario native should stay heavily involved to give his team its best chance to win.
NBA SGP legs
Nembhard over 4.5 assists (-143): Nembhard isn’t the primary passer on the Pacers, but there’s still plenty of room for him to get over this line.
Look at how Game 1 played out. Nembhard made half as many passes as Haliburton (45 vs. 89), but they finished with six assists apiece.
That might seem like a fluke, but it’s important to remember that not all passes are created equal.
According to NBA.com’s tracking data, Nembhard had 12 potential assists, which are marked as passes that lead directly to a shot. Haliburton had 13.
Throughout the playoffs, Nembhard has averaged 8.8 potential assists per game, meaning roughly half would have to convert for him to cash this bet. That’s certainly doable.
The Aurora, Ontario native is 10-7 vs. this prop in the postseason.
Haliburton under 18.5 points (-167): One reason why I like Nembhard’s assists prop is because the Pacers have so many capable scorers in their rotation. That’s also a reason to fade Haliburton.
In Game 1, Indiana had six scorers with 10-plus points. They had seven players averaging double figures during the regular season, so that type of balance isn’t an anomaly.
The Pacers need Haliburton to ball out, certainly, but he doesn’t have to carry the scoring load on his own.
He had 14 points in the series-opening victory. That’s the fifth time this postseason that he went under this point total in an Indiana win.
Haliburton has now gone under this total in all three games vs. OKC this year. He averaged 18.6 PPG during the regular season, so fading this total against the league’s top defence makes sense.
Pacers vs. Thunder predictions made at 11:56 a.m. ET 06/08/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.