On Sunday, June 22nd, the Oklahoma City Thunder earned a 103-91 home victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Thunder, who were 7-point favorites, won their first title since moving to Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the regular season MVP, had 29 points and 12 assists in the win, helping him beat out Jalen Williams for Finals MVP. For quite some time, the Thunder have been billed as a future dynasty, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Chet Holmgren making up a young Big Three. Oklahoma City also has a loaded bench, young players that still have plenty of room to grow and a war chest of first-round draft picks. Perhaps this is the beginning of the Thunder’s reign of terror on The Association. Winning one means Oklahoma City will have the championship DNA it needs to succeed in future playoff runs.

With the 2024-25 NBA season now a thing of the past, let’s quickly talk about what transpired in Game 7. Then, let’s turn the page to the the 2025-26 NBA title odds and what some offseason moves mean to them. We’ll also quickly look ahead to the 2025 NBA Draft, which we’ll be covering over the next couple of days.

Thunder beat Pacers in Game 7; Indiana loses Tyrese Haliburton to Achilles injury

Excitement was at an all-time high heading into Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Despite the fact that the Thunder were -750 favorites when prices first became available for this series, the Pacers proved that they were right there with the Western Conference champs. A 108-91 victory over Oklahoma City in Game 6 served as proof of that, and the fact that the oddsmakers set a smaller spread on Game 7 than they did in any of the Thunder’s previous home games against the Pacers also solidified that.

Game 7 started with a bang, too. Tyrese Haliburton had nine points on 3 for 4 shooting from 3, and he looked like he was on his way to a special performance — which wouldn’t have been surprising considering how clutch he has been throughout this postseason. But Haliburton, who was playing through a significant calf injury, went to the ground in a 16-16 game. And unfortunately, the slow-motion replays and in-game reporting made it seem like the superstar suffered a torn Achilles.

It was hard seeing Haliburton on the ground — and being super emotional as he was helped off the court. Players dream of being in this position their entire lives, and Haliburton was robbed of his moment. He feels like the last person that deserved that after the amount of big shots and memorable sequences he gave us in the playoffs. But the show had to go on.

Indiana hung around for a while, even taking a 48-47 lead into halftime. Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard both had some solid stretches, and T.J. McConnell continued T.J. McConnell-ing. But Oklahoma City eventually ramped up its defense, and it was curtains once that happened. The Thunder have been historically excellent on the defensive end all season, and getting to work against a team that was missing the head of the snake was easy work — especially in front of one of the best home crowds in basketball.

In the end, Oklahoma City won and covered the 7-point spread, the game went Under the total and Gilgeous-Alexander Finals MVP bettors cashed their tickets. Was it the way the Thunder would have wanted to win? Absolutely not. But they had to do what they had to do, and they played 12 minutes of high-level Oklahoma City basketball in the third quarter. That little push was the big difference.

Updated 2025-26 NBA Championship Odds; Kevin Durant in Houston, Desmond Bane in Orlando & Haliburton likely out for season

(Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:45 pm ET on Sunday, June 22nd)

Oklahoma City is the betting favorite to raise the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy next year, but Boston showed us how hard it is repeat this year. The Celtics never really found a championship gear, even if they did win games at a high clip. Then, they battled injuries late in the year, and they ultimately lost Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles. The Thunder are younger and have more depth, so they shouldn’t suffer that same fate. But you never really know. And honestly, that’s not where we should start when looking at title odds for next season. Let’s look at Houston and Orlando, as both teams have already made big moves to push the chips in.

The Rockets are now third on the oddsboard after trading Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second-round picks to the Suns for Kevin Durant. A few weeks ago, I mentioned Houston as a Durant suitor when looking at early title odds, and I also suggested a play at the 16-1 price. Well, those odds are now down to +750. The Rockets couldn’t have done better in acquiring the 36-year-old. Houston was fourth in the NBA in adjusted defensive rating (110.1) last season, but the team was in desperate need of a go-to scorer. That was clear in an opening-round loss to Golden State in the playoffs. Well, Durant averaged 26.6 points per game and shot 52.7% from the floor and 43.0% from 3 for Phoenix last year. He’s still one of the most dangerous scorers in the game, and he’s a productive defender. So, the fact that the Rockets were able to get him without giving up Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason or Reed Sheppard was massive. They should be a top-five defense in 2025-26, but they’re also looking at a top-10 offense. And for anybody that is worried about Durant’s attitude, he loves Houston head coach Ime Udoka. Plus, he’s not the headache people think he is anyway.

The Magic are another team that made a big swing before the official start of the offseason. They moved Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and four first-round picks to the Grizzlies for Desmond Bane. Bane isn’t as good as Durant, and this trade now feels like a bit of an afterthought. But Orlando was another team I played — and mentioned in the early futures piece — as this group represented real value at 45-1. Everybody knew the Magic were a 3-point shooter away from going to another level, and they might have gotten the best spot-up shooter in basketball. Bane shot 39.2% from deep last season, marking the fifth year in a row in which he shot 38.1% or better. And not only does Bane just make them, but he takes a lot of them. He’s also capable of creating offense for himself, and he’s a better passer than he is given credit for. Nobody in the league made fewer than Orlando’s 11.2 triples per game last season, and nobody shot worse than the team’s 31.8% from deep. Well, Bane should help significantly in both categories, and he should help the Magic crack the Top 20 in offensive rating for the first time since 2012.

It’s also hard not to go look at the Haliburton injury and think about what it means for next season. Indiana would have felt great about its chances of winning a weak Eastern Conference next year, but Haliburton is very likely to miss the entire season. That means that next year will be a bit of a gap year for the Pacers, even if they do have the talent to make the playoffs without him. Interestingly enough, Indiana did get its 2026 first-round pick back in a trade last week. So, if things do turn bad in the Hoosier State, they’ll potentially have a great pick in a loaded 2026 NBA Draft.

2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 25th

The 2025 NBA Draft is on Wednesday. That’s right, after Game 7 of the NBA Finals, we only have two full days to get ready for this exciting event. I do some work previewing prospects for RealGM, so I have been studying up on these prospects for months now. That said, make sure you come back to the website on Tuesday for some of my favorite picks for draft night. If you’ve been listening to VSiN programming over the last couple of days, you should know that I gave out Jeremiah Fears’ Draft Position Under 7.5 and Noa Essengue’s Draft Position Under 9.5. Hopefully some people tailed. That Fears one is already down to 6.5, so you have to act fast. But there will be more value in the next few days, as we’ll get more intel from respected draft personalities like Jonathan Givony. Make sure you’re reading as much as possible during draft week. Unlike the NFL Draft, you can be very successful betting this event by just paying attention. There won’t be as many smokescreens.

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