After losing Game 1 at home on a Tyrese Haliburton game-winner with just 0.3 seconds remaining — the only time the Pacers held a lead in the entire contest — the Thunder needed to respond in front of their home crowd to avoid heading on the road down 0-2. And respond they did.
Led by a game-high 34 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder secured a 123-107 victory to even the series at 1-1. Oklahoma City built a sizable lead in the first half and then traded baskets with Indiana in the second, maintaining control throughout.
Team effort
The Thunder had five players score in double figures, including strong bench performances from Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins, who contributed 20 and 18 points, respectively. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams combined for 33 points in the win.
“They play a full 48 minutes, and you can't just throw the first punch,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “You've got to try to throw all the punches all night. That’s what we did. We threw enough punches tonight to get a 'W'.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, also recorded five rebounds and eight assists.
The Pacers battled as they have all postseason but couldn’t complete another comeback. Haliburton led Indiana with 17 points, while seven players finished in double figures. Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner scored 15 and 16 points, respectively. Andrew Nembhard added 11, and Aaron Nesmith contributed 14. Despite the balanced attack, it wasn’t enough to match Oklahoma City's must-win performance at home.
''First to four''
“It’s still a race — first to four,” Haliburton said after the game. “We’re going back to our home court tied 1-1.”
The series now shifts to Indiana for Games 3 and 4, set to be played on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. With the series tied 1-1, everything is still up for grabs in the 2025 NBA Finals.
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