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Most turnovers in an NBA Finals game: How Thunder gave Pacers fits with stifling defense early in Game 1

Gilbert McGregor

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Most turnovers in an NBA Finals game: How Thunder gave Pacers fits with stifling defense early in Game 1 image

The Pacers were a model of ball control throughout their run to the NBA Finals. That said, they appeared to meet their match when the series began.

On the opposite side, the Thunder have terrorized the opposition with their stingy defense, forcing plenty of turnovers and creating open-floor opportunities. That trend continued as the NBA Finals opened up.

Oklahoma City's defense was everywhere during the first half of Game 1, using its disruptive ways to create chaos and limit Indiana's offense. The result was a turnover tally that almost caused the Pacers to make the wrong type of history before Indiana cleaned things up during their miraculous second-half comeback.

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Here's more on how OKC gave its opponent fits in Game 1 and how Indiana figured things out to get back on track.

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Pacers turnovers in Game 1 of NBA Finals

In the first half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Pacers committed 20 turnovers, according to the official NBA box score (19 individual turnovers, one team turnover). For perspective, they entered the series averaging 12.7 turnovers per game, and their highest total turnovers in the playoffs was the 20 they committed in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Indiana committed all types of turnovers, from live-ball mistakes to miscommunications and illegal screens.

And the credit is due to the Thunder's defense, which registered 12 steals to the Pacers' zero in the first half.

Regardless of who was on the floor, all five members of the Thunder flew around on defense, and everyone made plays, from All-Defensive Team members Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams to MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and first-time starter Cason Wallace.

Aaron Nesmith and Miles Turner led the way with four turnovers apiece, while point guard Tyrese Haliburton and reserve Obi Toppin each turned the ball over three times in the first half.

As a result, Indiana entered the half with four more turnovers (20) than made field goals (15), and the Thunder attempted 19 more field goals. That number is no coincidence.

And while OKC only converted those turnovers into nine points, Indiana was more than halfway to the NBA Finals record for most turnovers in a playoff game, which is 36.

The second half was a different story, as Indiana only committed five turnovers, setting the table for yet another trademark comeback. The Thunder's inability to convert those turnovers into more points proved to haunt them as they lost by one.

The Pacers outscored the Thunder, 35-25, to steal Game 1 courtesy of a game-winner from Haliburton with 0.3 seconds remaining.

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Most turnovers in an NBA Finals game 

The Warriors set the NBA Finals record for turnovers in a game with 36. Interestingly enough, Golden State won the game and swept the series, 4-0. The Pacers' 25 turnovers in Game 1 were a lot, but they weren't enough to land on the top 10 in Finals history.

RankTeamTurnoversDateOpponent
1Warriors36May 23, 1975Bullets
2Trail Blazers34May 22, 197776ers
3Warriors31May 25, 1975Bullets
476ers30May 31, 1977Trail Blazers
 Lakers30May 4, 1970Knicks
6Trail Blazers29May 26, 197576ers
 Suns29June 4, 1976 (OT)Celtics
 Bullets29May 25, 1975Warriors
9Trail Blazers27June 5, 197776ers
 Bullets27May 23, 1975Warriors
 Bucks27May 3, 1974Celtics

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.