Billionaire Jay-Z blows $1,000,000 on NBA Finals bet as OKC drops Game 3 to yet another Pacers comeback

With the Indiana Pacers’ big Game 3 win on Wednesday night, rapper turned business mogul Jay-Z’s $1m bet on the OKC Thunder to win the NBA Finals in five games is dead in the water.

Back on June 5, Fanatics Sportsbook posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about a $1m bet placed by Jay-Z. At the time, the legendary rapper bet $1m on the Thunder to win the finals in five games at +230 odds. Had the bet cashed, the sportsbook would have paid out $3.3m.

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Considering Jay-Z is now a partner of Fanatics, with reports indicating that he was bringing his 40/40 Club back to Fanatics Fest in New York City, it's unclear whether the bet was promotional.

Following the OKC Thunder's Game 3 loss on Wednesday night, the team, at best, can close out this NBA Finals series in Game 6, which is scheduled for June 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana.

If Indiana winds up winning Game 4 or 5, we could see a situation where this series doesn't need a Game 6 at all.

OKC Thunder chalk Wednesday's Game 3 loss to the Pacers up to unforced errors, turnovers following late-game cold-streak

In Wednesday's Game 3 clash between the OKC Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, OKC was up five in the third quarter despite being outscored by Indiana 40-28 in the second.

As Thunder coach Mark Daigneault and Jalen Williams said after the game, second-half turnovers proved to be incredibly costly.

Throughout the second half, Oklahoma City turned the ball over 17 times. Indiana, on the other hand, turned the ball over just once.

Williams attributed the loss to the team's second-half turnovers while speaking with members of the press post-game, with Thunder coach Mark Daigneault echoing a similar sentiment:

"In the fourth quarter, I just thought they really outplayed us on both ends. I thought they were in character in terms of their physicality, their pressure on defense. Then they were in character in terms of their pace on offense."

OKC will now have a chance to even things up in Game 4, which is set to take place on Friday in Indiana.

The series will then shift back to Oklahoma for a Game 5, which could wind up being a closeout game if the Pacers manage to defend home court Friday night.

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About the author

Evan Bell

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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