NBA Game Notes (June 5, 2025)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on June 5, 2025.

Jun 06, 2025

Three Stars

The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the “first star” considered the best of the three players, similar to the player of the match in other sports. Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games.

First ⭐️

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 38 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Indiana Pacers 111-110 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 14-30 from the field (3-6 on threes) and 7-8 from the free throw line. He also contributed five rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 40 minutes of action.

Second ⭐️

Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 19 points in the Pacers’ improbable win over the Thunder. Siakam made seven of his 15 attempts from the floor, adding 10 rebounds, three assists, and one block. He committed just one turnover and one personal foul in 35 minutes played.

Third ⭐️

Obi Toppin came off the bench to score 17 points as the Pacers rallied to defeat the Thunder. Toppin shot 6-9 from the field, sinking five of his eight 3-point attempts. He also snagged five rebounds and posted a game-best rating of plus-13 points (tied with Aaron Nesmith) in 25 minutes of court time.

Milestones

This was the first Game 1 in NBA Finals history decided by one point. A Finals opener has been decided by two points eight times (1950, 1957, 1958, 1969, 1979, 1991, 1995, and 1997).
Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38 points are the third-highest total in NBA history by a player in his Finals debut, trailing only Allen Iverson’s 48 points in 2001 and George Mikan’s 42 points in 1949.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored at least 30 points in a game for the 12th time in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, breaking a tie with Kevin Durant (2014) for the most such games in a single postseason by an Oklahoma City Thunder player.
Tyrese Haliburton (14 points, 10 rebounds) recorded his 10th double-double of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, snapping a tie with Dale Davis (2000) for the most such games in a single postseason by an Indiana Pacers player since the franchise joined the NBA in 1976.
The Indiana Pacers secured 56 rebounds, the franchise’s highest total in a playoff game since joining the NBA in 1976. The previous record of 55 boards was set April 29, 2003 and matched May 3, 2014.

Streaking

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points in each of his last three playoff games, averaging 37.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 7.0 APG with 48.2/41.2/88.5 shooting splits over that span.
Siakam has scored in double figures in each of his 34 playoff games with the Indiana Pacers, averaging 21.3 PPG on 53.7% shooting from the field. That streak extends to 59 games dating back to his stint with the Toronto Raptors.

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Gilgeous-Alexander was the night’s leading scorer, netting 38 points. Siakam ranked a distant second with 19 points, followed by Toppin and the Thunder’s Jalen Williams with 17 each.
The Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith was the top board man last night, hauling in 12 rebounds (a playoff career high). Also collecting double-digit boards were Haliburton and Siakam with 10 apiece.
Haliburton, the Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard, and Jalen Williams shared the nightly lead in assists, each delivering six dimes.
Haliburton’s jumper with 0.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter is the latest game winner in an NBA Finals game since Michael Jordan’s buzzer-beater on June 1, 1997 versus the Utah Jazz.
The Pacers trailed by 15 points with 9:42 remaining in the final period, matching the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in an NBA Finals game since the Dallas Mavericks rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat the Miami Heat on June 2, 2011. Both of those teams were coached by Rick Carlisle.