Interestingly, Jefferson calls the Thunder "lost and exhausted" in the late stage of the Finals G1

Richard Jefferson said the Oklahoma City Thunder looked "lost and exhausted" late in the game when the Indiana Pacers stole the first NBA Finals game.

In the first game of the NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder led by 15 points in the fourth quarter and finally lost to the Indiana Pacers 110-111. After the loss, former NBA forward and ESPN commentator Richard Jefferson expressed his views on the defeat and reviewed what he saw and heard as a commentator on the sidelines as the first game.

On Friday's Road Trippin' podcast, Jefferson reviewed a crucial moment in his discussion with commentator partner Doris Burke in the final stages of the game. He pointed out how strange Oklahoma City looked in the last few minutes of Indiana's strong counterattack.

"The Thunder look a little tired," Jefferson said. "The last thing I want to say is that I told Doris on the live broadcast that with one to three minutes left, it was the first time I saw the Thunder look like they were thinking hard about what to do. The players with the ball, they just looked around, as if they were asking, 'Where do we want to go?' Usually, they would go all out, and that's how we attack, and that's the game we were going to play." The Thunder collapsed at the end of the game, and Tyreth Halliburton led the Pacers to amaze the first game.

Shay Gilgers-Alexander, who recently won the MVP, led the scoring list with 38 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. In the 40-minute game, he made 14 of 30 shots, 3 of 6 shots and 7 of 8 free throws.

Jaylen Williams made 6 of 19 shots, contributing 17 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal. Luganz Dort contributed 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks and 1 assist, making 5 of 10 shots in the game and 5 of 9 three-pointers. The Thunder made 25 turnovers, including 19 in the first half, but they struggled to seize the opportunity, and the team's shooting percentage was only 39.8%. With 9 minutes and 32 seconds left in regular time, the Thunder led 94-79, and then the Pacers launched a 32-16 offensive. With 0.3 seconds left, Tyres Halliburton's winning jump shot helped the Pacers take their first and only lead of the season.

Although this is not the first home defeat in the Thunder in the playoffs, this is their first home loss to the Eastern Conference opponent since March 12, 2024 - the opponent is also the Pacers. The victory gave the Pacers a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals series.