However, Lindor is not expected to go on the injured list. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Lindor wanted to play Thursday, but was kept out of the lineup. It’s a day-to-day situation that comes down to how much pain Lindor can tolerate, according to Mendoza.
Lindor suffered the injury when he was hit in the right foot by an 89 mph slider from a Tony Gonsolin slider in the first inning. The shortstop went to the ground in pain but stayed in the game and eventually scored on a Juan Soto groundout.
After going 0-for-4 in the game, Lindor told reporters that he was feeling “a lot” of pain but could still play. Only after taking off his sock did he see how badly his foot was bruised, according to MLB.com. X-rays taken confirmed the broken toe.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts also didn’t go on the injured list after he fractured the fourth toe on his left foot, albeit in a home mishap. However, he did miss four games before returning to the lineup. Betts said playing was mostly a pain management issue, seemingly confirming what Mendoza and Lindor said.
Lindor, 31, is batting .279/.353/.490 with 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 36 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 283 plate appearances. Last season, he finished as the runner-up in National League MVP voting to Shohei Ohtani with a .273/.344/.500 average, 39 doubles, 33 homers, 91 RBI and 39 steals.
In Lindor’s absence, Luisangel Acuña — Braves superstar Ronald Acuña’s younger brother — started at shortstop Thursday and is expected to fill in at the position until the veteran returns. He’s hitting .246/.298/.292 and has mostly played second base this season, but is credited with 1 Defensive Run Saved and 2 Outs Above Average at shortstop. Ronny Mauricio is also being prepared to help out, though he hasn’t played shortstop since 2023.
However, Lindor is not expected to go on the injured list. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Lindor wanted to play Thursday, but was kept out of the lineup. It’s a day-to-day situation that comes down to how much pain Lindor can tolerate, according to Mendoza.
Lindor suffered the injury when he was hit in the right foot by an 89 mph slider from a Tony Gonsolin slider in the first inning. The shortstop went to the ground in pain but stayed in the game and eventually scored on a Juan Soto groundout.
After going 0-for-4 in the game, Lindor told reporters that he was feeling “a lot” of pain but could still play. Only after taking off his sock did he see how badly his foot was bruised, according to MLB.com. X-rays taken confirmed the broken toe.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts also didn’t go on the injured list after he fractured the fourth toe on his left foot, albeit in a home mishap. However, he did miss four games before returning to the lineup. Betts said playing was mostly a pain management issue, seemingly confirming what Mendoza and Lindor said.
Lindor, 31, is batting .279/.353/.490 with 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 36 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 283 plate appearances. Last season, he finished as the runner-up in National League MVP voting to Shohei Ohtani with a .273/.344/.500 average, 39 doubles, 33 homers, 91 RBI and 39 steals.
In Lindor’s absence, Luisangel Acuña — Braves superstar Ronald Acuña’s younger brother — started at shortstop Thursday and is expected to fill in at the position until the veteran returns. He’s hitting .246/.298/.292 and has mostly played second base this season, but is credited with 1 Defensive Run Saved and 2 Outs Above Average at shortstop. Ronny Mauricio is also being prepared to help out, though he hasn’t played shortstop since 2023.
The Mets were five outs away from taking the series against the Dodgers on Thursday afternoon, but a misplay by Brett Baty allowed Los Angeles to tie the game in the eighth inning and eventually take the lead in New York’s 6-5 loss.
Reliever Reed Garrett was called upon in the eighth and was in a bind with Will Smith on third base with just one out but the right-hander got exactly what he needed. Garrett got Andy Pages to hit a grounder to Baty as Smith bolted for home. The young third baseman had plenty of time to toss to Francisco Alvarez to get Smith in a rundown, at least. However, Baty double-pumped before throwing the ball into the dirt, allowing Smith to score.
“We didn’t make the play,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. “I don’t know if [Baty] got confused if Will Smith stopped halfway to get him in a rundown there. He double-pumped. Didn’t make a routine play there.”
Baty, who is usually soft-spoken when speaking with the media, was especially so after Thursday’s loss. To his credit, the young infielder owned the misplay as he walked reporters through what happened.
“He’s up front on a sweeper. Pages dribbled one to me,” Baty explained. “Made a good read coming in and was running at Will Smith because he didn’t get a good jump on it, and he kinda stuttered. I was pump faking and I thought he was going to come back, but he ended up going [home]. A very, very dumb mistake and it can’t happen in that situation. Have to give it up early and get him running back to third base. Terrible, terrible play.”
“The play there is to give it up,” Mendoza said when asked what the right play in that situation is. “Especially how far he is down the line. If he wants to stop, then we’ll get him on the rundown. Didn’t complete the play there.”
Although the Mets won the season series against the Dodgers after last night’s victory, they were so close to winning this four-game set. If not for a few misplays in the two losses in LA this week, the Mets could have swept this series.
Mendoza said he felt like they gave Thursday’s game away, but they don’t have time to dwell on it as they head to Colorado to take on the Rockies this weekend. But the sting of Thursday’s loss will be felt by Baty for a bit.
“It’s brutal for sure,” Baty said about leaving with a split. “We were up going into the eighth there. That play right there tied it up. Brutal for sure.”
The Mets turned an easy out at home plate into a “Three Stooges” skit. (Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters
Blowing a four-run lead to the Los Angeles Dodgers was a bad enough time for the New York Mets on Thursday. The game-tying play made it even worse.
With the Mets up 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, reliever Reed Garrett seemingly got a big out when Andy Pages hit an easy grounder right at third baseman Brett Baty. Dodgers catcher Will Smith had no choice but to make a break for home from third base, where he should have been tagged out.
However, Baty spiked the throw to home and catcher Francisco Alvarez couldn’t get a hold of it. As the ball bounced into the air and came down, Alvarez and Garrett collided into each other in a play worthy of a “Three Stooges” episode.
Had Alvarez not essentially set a basketball-style pick against Garrett after losing the ball, Smith still probably would have been out. Instead, he tied the game.
That single was Conforto’s first hit with a runner in scoring position since March 31, the Dodgers’ fifth game of the season. It was his first with two outs of the entire 2025 season, which hasn’t quite gone according to plan after he signed a one-year, $17 million deal to join the reigning World Series champs. He entered Thursday slashing .167/.311/.270.
With the Dodgers suddenly leading, they brought in Tanner Scott, another new acquisition who has been struggling, for the ninth inning. He struck out two and allowed a single before ending the game on a Luisangel Acuña flyout.
The Dodgers’ win split the four-game series with the Mets and kept them in first place in the NL West at 38-25. In arguably the hardest stretch of their season — with series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and Mets — they went 9-7 despite a heavily depleted pitching staff.
The Mets turned an easy out at home plate into a “Three Stooges” skit. (Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters
Blowing a four-run lead to the Los Angeles Dodgers was a bad enough time for the New York Mets on Thursday. The game-tying play made it even worse.
With the Mets up 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, reliever Reed Garrett seemingly got a big out when Andy Pages hit an easy grounder right at third baseman Brett Baty. Dodgers catcher Will Smith had no choice but to make a break for home from third base, where he should have been tagged out.
However, Baty spiked the throw to home and catcher Francisco Alvarez couldn’t get a hold of it. As the ball bounced into the air and came down, Alvarez and Garrett collided into each other in a play worthy of a “Three Stooges” episode.
Had Alvarez not essentially set a basketball-style pick against Garrett after losing the ball, Smith still probably would have been out. Instead, he tied the game.
That single was Conforto’s first hit with a runner in scoring position since March 31, the Dodgers’ fifth game of the season. It was his first with two outs of the entire 2025 season, which hasn’t quite gone according to plan after he signed a one-year, $17 million deal to join the reigning World Series champs. He entered Thursday slashing .167/.311/.270.
With the Dodgers suddenly leading, they brought in Tanner Scott, another new acquisition who has been struggling, for the ninth inning. He struck out two and allowed a single before ending the game on a Luisangel Acuña flyout.
The Dodgers’ win split the four-game series with the Mets and kept them in first place in the NL West at 38-25. In arguably the hardest stretch of their season — with series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and Mets — they went 9-7 despite a heavily depleted pitching staff.
NBA Finals don’t get much more small-market than this. But don’t tell that to Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. He doesn’t want to hear it.
The NBA Finals tip off Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Indiana Pacers. The basketball between a pair of high-octane teams with contrasting styles promises to be exciting.
But much has been made on the internet about the absence of a big-city presence in a Finals that doesn’t feature New York, Los Angeles, Toronto or Chicago or even a mid-sized market like Miami or Denver.
Oklahoma City and Indianapolis are small markets by any measure when it comes to to professional sports and TV eyeballs, which is what the discussion here is about. Holt has a different perspective.
“There are 19,500 cities, towns and villages in America, and we’re bigger than all but 19 of them,” Holt said recently, per Sports Business Journal. “OK? You think we’re a small market? Well, there’s 19,480 cities who think we’re a big market.”
Holt then engaged in a bit of Middle America vs. coastal elite culture warring while standing up for his city.
“Ninety percent of Americans live in a smaller place than Oklahoma City,” Holt continued. “They’re not looking at this and going, ‘You know what — that city’s not big enough for me to care.’ That’s a New York media-centric narrative. We’re the big city to most Americans.”
Holt’s math is a little off. A lot off, actually. The majority of Americans live in those big cities and their surrounding metropolitan areas. That’s the nature of big cities being, well, big. Cities are where large groups of people live.
Does Oklahoma City’s market size really matter when it comes to basketball? (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Holt also addresses a discussion that’s come up around these Finals. There’s been a significant amount of chatter around a perceived lack of interest in these NBA Finals because the cities the teams represent are relatively small compared to their NBA counterparts. Should it really matter?
There are many ways to count population and rank cities in terms of size. By a measure noted here citing TV market size — which is the most relevant issue in play here — Indianapolis ranks 22nd out of 28 markets that host NBA teams. Oklahoma city is 26th. Only New Orleans and Memphis are smaller.
The big question here: Why should that matter to basketball fans?
It’s almost certain that an NBA Finals featuring New York or Los Angeles would generate more eyeballs and, therefore, more revenue. But that’s an issue for the network and league accountants to worry about.
This is what the NBA says it wants
Having small markets compete is the stated goal of the NBA. Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the subject in his news conference Thursday night prior to Game 1.
He referenced an effort initiated by late NBA commissioner David Stern and executed in subsequent collective bargaining agreements to level the playing field for teams across the league, regardless of market size.
“I think it was very intentional,” Silver said.
“We set out to create a system that allowed for more competition around the league with the goal being to have 30 teams all in the position — if well managed — to compete for championships. And that’s what we’re seeing here.”
For fans of basketball, the Thunder and Pacers are a product of those efforts and give them plenty of reasons to tune in. They’ll also provide Oklahoma City and Indianapolis a chance to show what they’ve got.
NBA Finals don’t get much more small-market than this. But don’t tell that to Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. He doesn’t want to hear it.
The NBA Finals tip off Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Indiana Pacers. The basketball between a pair of high-octane teams with contrasting styles promises to be exciting.
But much has been made on the internet about the absence of a big-city presence in a Finals that doesn’t feature New York, Los Angeles, Toronto or Chicago or even a mid-sized market like Miami or Denver.
Oklahoma City and Indianapolis are small markets by any measure when it comes to to professional sports and TV eyeballs, which is what the discussion here is about. Holt has a different perspective.
“There are 19,500 cities, towns and villages in America, and we’re bigger than all but 19 of them,” Holt said recently, per Sports Business Journal. “OK? You think we’re a small market? Well, there’s 19,480 cities who think we’re a big market.”
Holt then engaged in a bit of Middle America vs. coastal elite culture warring while standing up for his city.
“Ninety percent of Americans live in a smaller place than Oklahoma City,” Holt continued. “They’re not looking at this and going, ‘You know what — that city’s not big enough for me to care.’ That’s a New York media-centric narrative. We’re the big city to most Americans.”
Holt’s math is a little off. A lot off, actually. The majority of Americans live in those big cities and their surrounding metropolitan areas. That’s the nature of big cities being, well, big. Cities are where large groups of people live.
Does Oklahoma City’s market size really matter when it comes to basketball? (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Holt also addresses a discussion that’s come up around these Finals. There’s been a significant amount of chatter around a perceived lack of interest in these NBA Finals because the cities the teams represent are relatively small compared to their NBA counterparts. Should it really matter?
There are many ways to count population and rank cities in terms of size. By a measure noted here citing TV market size — which is the most relevant issue in play here — Indianapolis ranks 22nd out of 28 markets that host NBA teams. Oklahoma city is 26th. Only New Orleans and Memphis are smaller.
The big question here: Why should that matter to basketball fans?
It’s almost certain that an NBA Finals featuring New York or Los Angeles would generate more eyeballs and, therefore, more revenue. But that’s an issue for the network and league accountants to worry about.
This is what the NBA says it wants
Having small markets compete is the stated goal of the NBA. Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the subject in his news conference Thursday night prior to Game 1.
He referenced an effort initiated by late NBA commissioner David Stern and executed in subsequent collective bargaining agreements to level the playing field for teams across the league, regardless of market size.
“I think it was very intentional,” Silver said.
“We set out to create a system that allowed for more competition around the league with the goal being to have 30 teams all in the position — if well managed — to compete for championships. And that’s what we’re seeing here.”
For fans of basketball, the Thunder and Pacers are a product of those efforts and give them plenty of reasons to tune in. They’ll also provide Oklahoma City and Indianapolis a chance to show what they’ve got.
The Mets had to settle for a disappointing four-game split with the reigning champions, as they once again fell late to the Dodgers, 6-5, on Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles.
Here are the takeaways…
— Pete Alonso flaunted his power with a pair of home runs on Wednesday night, and the pop in his bat appeared again on Thursday afternoon. He put the Mets ahead 1-0 in the second with a solo shot off Dodgers starter Landon Knack that traveled 408 feet to the bleachers in right-center. The opposite-field blast bumped Alonso’s RBI total to an NL-leading 54, and he’s now one homer shy of tying David Wright for the second-most (241) in franchise history.
— The Mets inflicted further damage on Knack with a three-run rally in the third. Hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, Brandon Nimmo ripped a solo homer to center that narrowly avoided the glove of Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages. Then, three pitches later, Starling Marte made the score 3-0 with a liner to left that landed in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Knack’s control issues persisted and placed him in a bases-loaded jam, and a sac fly to left from Brett Baty scored Alonso to push the lead to 4-0.
— The early four-run cushion didn’t provide enough comfort for David Peterson, as he allowed the Dodgers to score three runs in the bottom of the third with a rally sparked by a one-out walk and single. With runners on the corners, Mookie Betts doubled deep to center that brought home Miguel Rojas, and then a single to left from Will Smith and a fielder’s choice groundout from Teoscar Hernández cut the Mets’ lead to 4-3.
— Knacks’ lack of command created more traffic on the bases in the fourth. After walking his fourth and fifth batters with one out, he was pulled from the game at a whopping 86 pitches and replaced by Jack Dreyer. The Mets threatened to score, as Juan Soto forced another walk to load the bases, but Dreyer ultimately escaped the jam by getting Alonso to strike out and Jeff McNeil to fly out. The Mets entered Thursday with a lowly .219 average with RISP (fourth worst in MLB).
— As if the Mets’ overall hitting woes with runners in scoring position weren’t glaring enough, they left a staggering 10 runners on base through six innings. Another prime opportunity to tack on runs was wasted in the sixth, when Marte got tagged out leaning too far off third base after a McNeil strikeout. It was an inning-ending double play that kept the score 4-3.
— Peterson didn’t have his best stuff, but he delivered yet another lengthy and gutsy performance the Mets needed. After a messy third inning, the left-hander hunkered down and pitched four scoreless frames, and his outing ended with a huge strikeout of Ohtani that demanded eight dramatic pitches. Peterson completed seven innings for the second time in 2025 (both against the Dodgers), allowing seven hits and two walks with six punchouts across 91 pitches. His season ERA now sits at 2.80.
— The Mets finally broke through with an insurance run in the eighth, as Alonso delivered an RBI single to right that scored Marte and bumped their lead to 5-3. But it didn’t take long for the Dodgers to erase their deficit and wreak havoc against reliever Reed Garrett. After a leadoff walk to Betts, Smith smacked an RBI double to left to make the score 5-4, and then a double-clutch and errant throw home from Baty on a fielder’s choice grounder off the bat of Pages tied the game.
— Garrett intentionally walked pinch-hitter Freddie Freeman to put runners on first and second with two outs, and the move brought on a matchup with Michael Conforto, who stepped up to the plate 0-for-11 in the series. The veteran outfielder ultimately got the last laugh against his former team, driving in the go-ahead run with a single to left. It was a blown save for Garrett, who entered Thursday with a pristine 0.68 ERA.
— Another barn burner brought Dodgers closer Tanner Scott out for the ninth, and while the Mets managed to breathe down his neck, he locked down the save by striking out Tyrone Taylor and Baty and getting Luisangel Acuña to fly out. A game that simply slipped away for the Mets — they went 2-for-10 with RISP and left 13 runners on base.
Game MVP: Michael Conforto
Yes, him. The Mets dared their former outfielder to beat them in the eighth, and he did just that by driving in the Dodgers’ go-ahead run. The consolation prize belongs to Alonso, however, who’s logged 12 RBI across the last five games and boosted his average to .298.
Highlights
David Peterson strikes out Shohei Ohtani for the fourth time in four at-bats! pic.twitter.com/bpyX6ZhG2J
The Mets (39-24) will continue their week-long road trip on Friday night, with the first of three games against the Colorado Rockies. First pitch is set for 8:40 p.m. on SNY.
Kodai Senga (6-3, 1.60 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound, opposite veteran right-hander Antonio Senzatela (1-10, 7.14 ERA).
Michael Conforto drives in the go-ahead run on a single in the eighth inning of the Dodgers’ 6-5 comeback win over the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium on Thursday afternoon. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped before the game that the 35-year-old veteran first baseman had begun to understand the value of an off day as he’s dealt with discomfort in his ankle this season.
But with the go-ahead run on second base in the eighth inning, Roberts summoned Freeman off the bench. Was it time for another magical, Freddie Freeman moment at Chavez Ravine?
Not so fast. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called for an intentional walk, and up walked Michael Conforto. The 46,364 fans at Dodger Stadium already booed the struggling outfielder after his third-inning strikeout. Hitting .165 entering the game, he was one of the unlikeliest to lead the Dodgers to a comeback victory. He’d yet to come through.
But all Conforto needed was one hit, one chance. And he delivered.
Against Mets setup man Reed Garrett, Conforto ripped a go-ahead RBI single into left field, helping the Dodgers complete a three-run comeback to defeat the Mets 6-5 and salvage a series split against a potential NL playoff opponent.
“It’s been a grind up to this point,” Conforto said. “All I want to do is go up there and help us win. A lot of those situations I’ve come up short, so to come through today was everything.”
Closer Tanner Scott earned his first save since May 21 with a shutdown ninth inning, his second scoreless outing in a row.
Conforto’s first hit with runners in scoring position since March 31 — and his first hit this season with runners in scoring position with two outs — put the Dodgers (38-25) two games ahead of the Padres in the NL West after their 3-2 loss to the Giants on Thursday.
In recent weeks, the Dodgers clubhouse showed support to Conforto during his slump. Mookie Betts said that Conforto’s struggles were also the team’s.
“These guys have been awesome,” Conforto said of his teammates. “You spend more time with these guys than your actual family, so they’ve been part of my family. Just trying to keep me smiling, keep me laughing, so it’s been great to have their support.”
Before Conforto’s go-ahead single, Will Smith doubled home Betts, who reached on a walk. Andy Pages scraped a ball off the ground — causing havoc in the Mets’ infield and a throwing error from Brett Baty — allowing Smith to score.
For manager Dave Roberts, rallies such as Thursday’s show the might of his ballclub, he said.
“Reed Garrett’s obviously had a great year up to this point,” Roberts said. “They got a good pen. They pitch well. But the free passes, like you guys saw today, when you give teams free passes, innings are built and runs are created.”
Mets left-hander David Peterson had made things difficult before the eighth. He struck out six and gave up three runs across seven innings.
Dodgers pitcher Landon Knack reacts after giving up a home run to New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte, left, in the third inning Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The longevity the Mets (39-24) got from Peterson, however, was the opposite of what the Dodgers received from right-hander Landon Knack.
Knack had turned a corner across his last two outings. Against both New York teams, he twirled a career-high-tying six innings and gave up just one earned run in each start. Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior paid close attention to Knack’s adjustments, praising his rise from early-season appearances in which he was bounced from games, giving up five runs against the Nationals and Athletics.
“His ability is to be able to throw multiple pitches in any count, in any situation, and that was a little bit off early on,” Prior said, “but now I think he’s starting to finally get into the groove and kind of get back to where he was throwing the ball last year.”
Prior noted what Knack could do when he’s on — mixing pitches and speeds, making for off-balance at-bats. But he also explained what happens when Knack is off — leaving pitches in the middle zone, while falling behind in counts.
Pete Alonso slides past Dodgers catcher Will Smith to score a run for the Mets in the third inning Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Knack was at his least effective Thursday. He gave up four runs — including three home runs — leaving fastballs over the plate to Pete Alonso and Starling Marte in the first and third innings. He also walked five across 3 ⅓ innings.
“Today [my mechanics] just got a little bit out of whack there for a minute, but I think I have made too much talk on just kind of like trying — we’re getting close, we’re feeling this, feeling that — and I think it’s time to just do it,” Knack said. “To stop talking about it and just go out there and do it.”
Roberts had to lean on his bullpen. Jack Dreyer took the ball through the middle of the fifth and José Ureña — who signed with the Dodgers on Tuesday — pitched 2 ⅓ innings to help save bullpen arms ahead of a six-game trip starting Friday in St. Louis.
Left-hander Justin Wrobleski will start for the Dodgers on Friday after being recalled from triple-A Oklahoma City, Roberts said. Wrobleski gave up five runs in four innings during his last triple-A appearance.
Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott, right, celebrates with Will Smith after closing out a 6-5 win over the Mets on Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Etc.
Roberts said right-handed relief pitchers Kirby Yates (right hamstring strain) and Michael Kopech (right shoulder impingement) have a “good possibility” of being activated off the injured list during the weekend series in St. Louis.
Likely candidates to be removed from the 26-man roster over the next few days are Ryan Loutos (five earned runs in three innings with the Dodgers) — who gave up a three-run home run in Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to the Mets — and Ureña.
Outfielders James Outman and Esteury Ruiz both had lockers in the Dodgers clubhouse Thursday. Roberts said the duo were on the taxi squad — as insurance for Hyeseong Kim and Tommy Edman — and would likely be headed back to triple-A later in the day.
Roberts gave clean bills of health to Edman (right ankle) and Kim (fouled a ball off his foot). Edman returned to the Dodgers’ lineup after two days off and hit sixth at second base.
“Looks like we’re out of the clear with those two active guys,” Roberts said.
The rap mogul has placed a $1 million bet for the Thunder to not just win, but to win in exactly five games, Fanatics Sportsbook announced Thursday. If the Thunder pull that off, it will pay Jay-Z $3.3 million.
That’s more than what Thunder backup big man Jaylin Williams is making this season.
Overall, the Thunder are currently -700 favorites at BetMGM to win their first title since moving to OKC. That’s not just their best odds to win a title in franchise history, it’s the most any team in the Finals has been favored since the 2018 Golden State Warriors, who were in their second season with Kevin Durant.
With odds that short, Jay-Z might have been looking for value with a series score bet. Meanwhile, a different bettor didn’t seem to mind the odds too much, dropping $1.05 million on the Thunder to win outright at MGM. A Thunder win would net the bettor $150,000.
Jay-Z likes the Thunder, by a lot, in the 2025 NBA Finals. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Harry How via Getty Images
The defensively dominant Thunder are a bad matchup for the Pacers in all kind of ways, but Indiana has made a habit of stunning teams in these NBA playoffs. They took down the other 60-win team this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the second round and have three different seven-point comebacks in the final minute of play.
