How to Watch Tonight’s NBA Finals Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 1 for Free

The 2025 NBA finals kick off tonight. The Oklahoma City Thunder will play the Indiana Pacers, and the team that wins four out of seven games first will claim the championship title. 

It’s a big moment for both teams. Tonight marks the first time the Pacers have made it to the finals in 25 years since losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. The last time the Thunder had a chance at the championship was in 2012 against the Miami Heat — who had big names on the roster, including Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Even though both the Pacers and Thunder lost at their last finals shot, tonight kicks off their chance to take the title.  

Thinking about where and how you’ll watch the game for free? We’ve got the answer, even if you don’t have live TV. 

When are the NBA finals?

Here’s when and where you can expect the two teams to face off this month. All games will air exclusively on ABC.

Game 1

• June 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) 
• Pacers at Thunder (Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK)

Game 2

• June 8 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) 
• Pacers at Thunder  (Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK)

Game 3

• June 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) 
• Thunder at Pacers (Gainbridge Field House, Indianapolis, IN)

Game 4

• June 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) 
• Thunder at Pacers (Gainbridge Field House, Indianapolis, IN) 

Game 5 

• June 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) 
• Pacers at Thunder (Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK)

Game 6

• June 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) 
• Thunder at Pacers (Gainbridge Field House, Indianapolis, IN)

Game 7 

• June 22 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) 
• Pacers at Thunder (Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK)

How to watch the Pacers vs. Thunder Game 1 for free

The Pacers vs. Thunder Game 1 will be available for free on the NBA’s YouTube livestream. However, the livestream is geo-locked in India, so you’ll need a virtual private network, or VPN, to bypass it. A VPN can route your Internet traffic to another location, and allow you to access content from anywhere. 

Our top VPN pick is ExpressVPN if you’re looking for one for the NBA finals. It’s a paid VPN that costs $13 a month, but ExpressVPN offers a free trial that may help youto watch tonight’s game. 

There are free VPNs available, but oftentimes, you can’t choose the server location. So it’s not ideal for streaming region-locked sports games. Free VPNs also come with other downsides including less than ideal speed and no control of your privacy or data being shared. 

How to stream Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a VPN 

• Sign up for a free trial of a paid VPN. See if your VPN choice has India as a location option for the game. 
• Install the VPN on your mobile device or computer. 
• Connect to a location server in India. 
• Watch the game via the NBA’s YouTube livestream. 

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you’ll get three months free and save 49%. That’s the equivalent of $6.67 a month.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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