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OKLAHOMA CITY — After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winner in the Indiana Pacers’ 111-110 win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams delivered his take on what went wrong.
The Thunder coughed up a 15-point lead amid a 12-3 Pacers run in their colossal fourth-quarter collapse. Williams identified Oklahoma City’s most significant shortcomings.
For Williams, the issues that hindered his team’s fourth-quarter performance were reminiscent of when the Thunder surrendered a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of losing their series opener against the Denver Nuggets.
“We had a couple of defensive breakdowns that cost us, a couple of offensive rebounds that cost us, just little stuff down the stretch,” Williams said. “I thought we had a really good offensive process. We got some good shots towards the end. But when shots aren’t falling, you can’t have defensive breakdowns like we did.”
Jalen Williams when I asked him about the similarities between losing Game 1 vs Nuggets to losing Game 1 tonight:
“We had a couple of defensive breakdowns that cost us. A couple of offensive rebounds… when shots aren’t falling you can’t have defensive breakdowns like we did” pic.twitter.com/LTlHRHuCvy
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) June 6, 2025
In a final frame where Jalen Williams and the Thunder were outscored 35-25 by the Pacers, the Thunder went 6-for-17, including 0-for-5 from deep in the fourth quarter. Indiana’s six threes in the final frame catapulted their comeback.
After Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander came up empty on back-to-back Thunder possessions, Haliburton, with 11.3 seconds left, dribbled the ball up the floor before finding his spot from inside the three-point arc over Cason Wallace for the go-ahead bucket.
Haliburton’s game-winner topped his NBA Finals debut performance, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists while helping the Pacers steal Game 1.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander downplays Tyrese Haliburton’s ‘crazy’ shot
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Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacted to Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot. After Gilgeous-Alexander missed a shot that would have given the Thunder a three-point lead with less than 14 seconds left, Tyrese made him pay. In a game where the Pacers finished with a whopping 25 turnovers, they took care of the ball when it mattered most.
The Thunder failed to preserve a 15-point lead. After the loss, Gilgeous-Alexander took reporters through the motions of the Pacers’ final possession toward the end of the fourth quarter.
“I don’t know; it happened so fast,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He got down going right, pulled up for the middy, and knocked down the shot. I don’t know, it didn’t feel like anything crazy. He just made a play with time winding down, made a good play.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot:
“I don’t know it happened so fast… it didn’t feel like anything crazy. He just made a play with time winding down. Made a good play” pic.twitter.com/Y8c1ixlztR
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) June 6, 2025
In his NBA Finals debut, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 38 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals but will look to even the series in Game 2 on Sunday.
