ESPN Computer Model Predicts Winner Of Game 7 Tonight
ESPN Computer Model Predicts Winner Of Game 7 Tonight originally appeared on The Spun.
You know the story by now... it's the two best words in all of sports: Game. Seven.
After entering this year's Finals as one of the biggest underdogs in NBA history, the Indiana Pacers have forced a Game 7 in OKC's house where one of the league's best homecourts awaits them.
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The Pacers absolutely rolled the Thunder in their final stand at Gainbridge Fieldhouse thanks to a total team effort and a solid performance from injured superstar Tyrese Haliburton in Game 6.
Now Indiana is 48 minutes away from potentially hoisting its first ever Larry O'Brien Trophy — but ESPN Analytics believes Oklahoma City is going to have something to say about that.
According to the network's Matchup Predictor, OKC has a 60.1% chance of finishing off its (mostly) dominant season with a ring to the Pacers' 39.9%.
The Thunder enter as 6.5-point favorites at home in the winner-take-all game, per ESPNBET. With the Worldwide Leader's Basketball Power Index leaning on the league's MVP and his team's 10-2 record in Loud City this postseason.
May 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles the ball up court in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
As we all know though, anything can happen in a Game 7. And its likely going to be a tightly contested battle with everything on the line.
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We'll find out just a handful of hours from now though with tip-off between the Pacers and Thunder scheduled for 8 PM ET on ABC.
Related: College Basketball Coach Praises President Trump For Iran Bombing
ESPN Computer Model Predicts Winner Of Game 7 Tonight first appeared on The Spun on Jun 22, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
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Indiana couldn't sustain that surge of adrenaline, though, scoring just 20 points in 23 possessions in the third quarter and committing eight turnovers leading to 18 Thunder points. It was a stretch that laid bare just how badly these Pacers need Haliburton — how everything Indiana is on the offensive end flows from him and through him, and how, without his visionary pace-pushing playmaking, the Pacers just aren't the Pacers — and one that blew Game 7 wide open, sending Oklahoma City on the way to the NBA championship. Haliburton couldn't walk; he couldn't be out there. But, with the aid of crutches, he could greet his teammates after the game, congratulating them on a race well run, offering what he could in one of the darkest moments of all of their careers. 'That's who he is as a person, a teammate,' said backup point guard T.J. McConnell, who tried his damnedest to pick up the slack in Haliburton's absence, scoring 16 points with six rebounds and three assists off the bench. 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