NBA Finals 2025 preview: Schedule, odds, betting tips and predictions

George Dempsey8 June 2025

Indiana Pacers' #0 Tyrese Haliburton guards OKC Thunders' #2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Everything you need to know ahead of the NBA Finals 2025, including schedule, odds, betting tips and full series preview from Planet Sport.

The stage is set for the 2025 NBA Finals as the Oklahoma City Thunder prepare to face the Indiana Pacers in a match-up that few would have predicted back in October.

Oklahoma City are overwhelming favourites for the series, priced as short as 1/6 to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Only the all-conquering Golden State Warriors of 2018 have started a Finals with shorter odds in the past two decades.

Indiana, on the other hand, are a 9/2 outsider and aiming to pull off one of the biggest title shocks in modern NBA history.

Game one tips off on Thursday night in Oklahoma, where the Thunder are nine-point favourites.

They’ve reached the Finals for the first time since 2013 and have powered through the Western Conference with a 12-4 record in the playoffs. After cruising past Minnesota in five games, they now look to complete the job.

Below, you'll find the latest betting odds, our betting tips, a series preview and the full schedule.

NBA Finals 2025 betting tips

Oklahoma City Thunder to win 4-2 - 15/4

Indiana Pacers to win Game 1 & lose series - 5/1

NBA Finals 2025 betting odds

The Thunder are overwhelming favourites to win the finals. If the Pacers were to cause an upset, it would mark a piece of NBA history.

OKC are just 1/6 to win the series, while Indiana can be backed at 9/2 with Betway.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also 1/6 to win the MVP award, as he's the most likely candidate to carry the Thunder to victory. At the same time, the Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton is the next most likely candidate at 13/2.

It'll take a stunning offensive performance but also an unlikely defensive effort if an upset is to occur, so Pascal Siakam looks a nice outsider at 15/1.

Betway have priced a four-game series at 3/1, a five-game series at 7/4, a six-game series at 11/4, and a seven-game series at 13/4.

The most likely series score is seen as Thunder 4-1, which is available to back at 37/20 at the time of writing.

If you fancy the Pacers to make more of a fist of it, Indiana +2.5 is currently priced at 10/11, while over 6.5 games is 13/4.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Tyrese Haliburton

Much of the Thunder’s success has been driven by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has continued his stellar form into the postseason. The 26-year-old guard has averaged nearly 30 points per game and looks every bit the superstar. Crucially, he has a strong track record against the Pacers, scoring 39 points per game across two wins this season.

Indiana’s journey has been far less straightforward. Starting the season as 50/1 shots to win the title, they’ve defied expectations thanks to a late-season surge and a red-hot playoff run.

They clinched their place in the Finals with a convincing win over the Knicks in game six, led by Pascal Siakam, who was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP after several big performances.

Tyrese Haliburton has also played a key role, running the Pacers’ offence and leading the postseason in assists.

However, Oklahoma City have been excellent at containing high-usage guards during the playoffs, thanks to elite perimeter defenders like Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace. Haliburton will need to be at his best to find space and keep the Pacers’ offence moving.

Key matchups

The tactical battle between the two teams could come down to frontcourt matchups. Oklahoma may need to decide whether to stick with their dual bigs or lean into a smaller, more mobile lineup featuring Chet Holmgren as the lone centre.

Holmgren didn’t feature in either game against Indiana during the regular season, and his presence could be a key factor on both ends of the floor.

Indiana’s best chance might lie in Siakam continuing his scoring form and the team hitting their three-point shots. If they can drag the Thunder’s big men out of the paint and open up the court, they’ll at least give themselves a fighting chance.

Experienced Carlisle vs Rookie Daigneault

There’s also an interesting subplot on the sidelines. Mark Daigneault is coaching in his first Finals, while Rick Carlisle has been here before, famously leading Dallas to an upset win over Miami in 2011. That experience could count for something.

Still, on paper and based on form, this looks like Oklahoma City’s series to lose. They’ve been dominant all season and look well-equipped to finish the job.

Despite that, Indiana is a dangerous enough offensive, and approach games with such a fearless nature, we can see them winning more than the single game they've expected to pick up.