June 5 (UPI) -- Tyrese Haliburton flowed right, slammed on the brakes and buried a game-winning jumper, giving the Indiana Pacers their only lead of the night to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 15 points before the veteran guard hit the shot with just 0.3 second remaining for the 111-110 comeback victory in Oklahoma City. Haliburton, who scored just six points in the first half, finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
"We keep believing and we stay together," Haliburton said on the ABC broadcast. "It ain't over until it's over. It ain't over until it hits zero. We just keep pushing."
The Pacers outshot the Thunder 47.6% to 39.8%, but were hurt by turnovers early on. Lazy passes were chum for Thunder defenders, who gathered like hungry sharks to forced 20 Pacers turnovers in the first half.
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a game-high 38 points, including 19 in the first half. Veteran forward Pascal Siakam, who chipped in 19 points in the win, was among seven Pacers players to score at least 10.
The Thunder scored the first seven points of the night and kept their foot on the gas for the majority of the series opener. The Pacers, who have one of the league's smoothest and most-prolific offensive attacks during the regular season and are the best shooting team this postseason, looked discombobulated until they found their late rhythm.
The Thunder built a 29-20 lead through the first 12 minutes and outscored the Pacers 28-25 in the second quarter to hold a 57-45 lead at halftime. The Pacers bounced back by outscoring the Thunder 31-28 in the third, but still trailed 85-76 to start the final frame.
The Thunder outscored the Pacers 9-3 through the first 2:18 of the quarter to push their lead to 15. The Pacers rallied with a 15-4 run. They cut the deficit to single digits several times before ending the game on a 12-2 run.
Siakam netted a put-back layup with 49 seconds to make the score 110-109. The Thunder failed to convert on the next possession, setting up Haliburton's heroic finish. The Pacers pulled down a rebound and sprinted down the court before forward Obi Toppin handed the ball off to Haliburton on the left flank.
Haliburton then dribbled from left to right and drove toward the paint before stopping just inside the 3-point line and elevating. He kept his right hand dangling in the air as he watched the ball drop through the net, shocking the home crowd.
Toppin, who hit 5 of 8 3-point attempts, scored 17 off the Pacers bench. Center Myles Turner recorded 15 points. Shooting guard Andrew Nembhard chipped in 14 points. Small forward Aaron Nesmith totaled 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Thunder forward Jalen Williams totaled 17 points in the loss. The Pacers totaled just five turnovers in the second half of their Game 1 win.
The Thunder (0-1) will host the Pacers (1-0) in Game 2 at 8 p.m. EDT Sunday at Paycom Center.
