The NBA Finals get underway tonight, with the Western conference champions Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Eastern conference champions Indiana Pacers in game one of a best-of-seven series.
Paddy Power are offering new customers massive enhanced odds ahead of the tournament of 40/1 for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s averaging 33 points per game this season, to score 25 points in Game One tonight, an offer which can be claimed by following this link*.
Paddy Power – Get 40/1 on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 25+ points in Game 1 v Indiana Pacers – CLAIM HERE*
The pairing of Oklahoma City v Indiana in this year’s NBA Finals means that for the seventh year in a row the league will not have a repeat champions, while also a seventh different champion in succession is also guaranteed for the first time in NBA history.
A new city is guaranteed to win their first ever NBA Championship, with the Pacers never having won the league before while the Thunder franchise have won it once back when they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979.
Thunder finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA (68-14), compared with the Pacers who finished fourth in the Eastern conference with a 50-32, meaning the 18 game difference between the sides the largest among NBA Finals participants in 44 years.
Oklahoma City head into tonight’s opening game as overwhelming favourites to win the city’s first ever NBA Championship after enjoying their best season in franchise history, finishing top in the West for a second straight season, finishing 16 games ahead of the second best team in the conference, the Houston Rockets.
In the play-offs, the Thunder started with a four-game sweep against the Memphis Grizzlies before being taken all the way in a game seven victory over the Denver Nuggets to book their place in the Conference Finals, where they dispatched the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.
OKC, lead by MVP league-leading points per game scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, have gone 8-1 at home in the play-offs so far, winning those eight games by an average of 28 points, losing their only match by just two points in game one against the Nuggets.
The Pacers started the 2024-25 campaign slowly reaching 10-15 at one point, but recovered to seal a fourth place finish in the Eastern conference, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks for the second season in a row in the play-offs in five games, before shocking the league by defeating the 64-win first seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference semi finals.
A six-game win over the New York Knicks secured the Pacers’ spot in the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years, when they lost to the LA Lakers, and leaves them bidding to become the lowest seeded team to win a championship since the 1995 Rockets.
How to watch the NBA Finals – Game 1
- Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
- Date and time: Friday 6th June 2025, 1:30am
- How to watch: TNT Sports 1, discovery+
All odds correct at the time of writing.
Paddy Power – Get 40/1 on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 25+ points in Game 1 v Indiana Pacers – CLAIM HERE*
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*Place a max £1 bet on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 25+ points in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, June 6th at the normal odds. Winnings paid in cash at normal odds and are topped up to the enhanced price in Free Bets. Free bets are valid 7 days, only deposits with cards & Apple Pay are eligible. Excludes multiples & in-play bets. T&C’s apply. Please gamble responsibly.