Thunder Favored, but Bettors Backing Pacers Big in NBA Finals

The 2025 NBA Finals series between the Thunder and Pacers is one of the most lopsided in history—at least based on the odds.

Oklahoma City is favored somewhere from -650 to -750, depending on the sportsbook, making the matchup one of the 10 most-lopsided NBA Finals, according to Sports Odds History.

Despite the gap—or perhaps because of it—bettors are putting their money on Indiana. 

According to data from DraftKings, 79% of the betting handle, which is the total amount of money wagered, is on the Pacers to upset the Thunder. DraftKings has the Pacers at +500 odds to win the series. The remaining 79% of the handle placed on the series winner belongs to the Thunder at -700, meaning that a bettor would have to place $7 to win $1 back.

DraftKings director of sports operations Johnny Avello tells Front Office Sports that betting trends were similar for previous playoff series, including when the Cavaliers were -425 favorites to beat the Pacers in the second round.

“It’s not that unusual because the bettors are reluctant to lay $7 to win $1,” says Avello.

The same trend can be seen on FanDuel, DraftKings’ biggest competitor, where the Thunder are -750 favorites. The Pacers have 95% of total series bets and 77% of the betting handle.

Most bettors, however, are putting money on OKC to cover the spread in Game 1 (-9), with 57% of the betting handle for Game 1 on OKC to cover. However, 66% of the handle is on the Pacers moneyline (+320), according to DraftKings.

Oklahoma City is also getting a lion’s share of the bets when it comes to the exact outcome of the series.

For bets on “Correct Score,” 64% of the betting handle and 41% of bets placed are on the Thunder to win in five games (+250), the most likely outcome based on the odds. An Oklahoma City sweep (+260) has 18% of the handle and 25% of bets placed. Pacers in six (+1400) has the most bets of any that have Indiana winning the series (5% handle, 9% bets placed).

While the odds show that the Pacers are a long shot to win the title, they have been underdogs throughout the playoffs. They have not been favored to win a series since the first round, and DraftKings gave Indiana 85-to-1 odds to win the title before the playoffs, the longest odds in the sportsbook’s history for any team that has made the Finals.

“No quote, unquote expert or analyst is going to pick us, and that’s O.K. We like it better that way,” Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton said Tuesday.