The NBA Finals will tip off on Thursday night, with Game 1 between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder airing at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
NBA betting expert Brandon Anderson dug into the latest odds and identified a handful of NBA picks for tonight's contest and the rest of the series. Continue below for his NBA best bets and predictions for Thursday, June 5.
NBA Finals Best Bets, Picks, Predictions: Thursday, June 5
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
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  | 8:30 p.m. | |
| 8:30 p.m. | |
| 8:30 p.m. | |
| 8:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Pacers vs. Thunder
Fading Haliburton assists is one of my strongest reads of the series.
Oklahoma City just has so many tough defenders to throw at him, and won’t let him break them down with his passing because of it.
Haliburton averages only 5.5 assists per game on 11.5 potentials against OKC, both his lowest of any opponent and over 10 fewer assist points created, which is consistent with what OKC did to Jokic, Ant, and Ja in playoff series.
This feels much more like a 6-7 apg series for Haliburton, maybe not even ahead of Nembhard on his own team, and likely behind SGA, especially if OKC wins the series comfortably.
Pick: Tyrese Haliburton Under 9.5 Assists (-141) / Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Game 1 Assists Leader (+245)
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Pacers vs. Thunder
Just playing a series angle early, fading Isaiah Hartenstein minutes and Myles Turner rebounds should mean a smaller series and more boards for guys like SGA, who has gone from 5.3 to 6.3 rpg in the last 2 playoffs compared to the regular season.
SGA has gone for 10-7-7 rebounds vs. Indy in the last 2 years, 8.0 rebounds per game on 65%.
Pick: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 5.5 Rebounds (-114)
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Pacers vs. Thunder
NBA Finals home team in Game 1 is one of the best bets in sports: 16-3 ATS by almost 5 points per game over the past two decades.
Favorites over 5 points are 12-0 SU by 13.4 ppg, with every win by 8+ and all but two by double digits.
This is the best team that played all season to get this exact spot, don't overthink it.
OKC +24.7 net at home in playoffs, 122 offensive rating, 97 defensive rating.
The Pacers road 1H net rating of -6 was a weak spot during the regular season.
Could set up for blowout script and OKC has 6 of its 12 wins this postseason by 19+, with over a third of its wins this season by 20+ and over a quarter by 24+.
Don’t let the high line scare you when it comes to this OKC team, play alternate lines too.
Pick: Thunder -9 (-110, 1.4 units) / -19.5 (+350, 0.25 units) / -23.5 (+700, 0.25 units) / -33.5 (+1800, 0.1 units)
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