Thunder Bounce Back Big to Tie NBA Finals
The NBA Finals usually bring drama, but Game 2 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers turned out to be more about dominance than last-minute heroics. Oklahoma City needed a response after the Pacers shocked everyone with that wild comeback in Game 1, and that's exactly what they delivered on Sunday night. The Thunder poured in buckets from everywhere, bursting out to a 123-107 win and tying the series at 1-1.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a man on a mission, lighting up the scoreboard with 34 points on his own terms. You could see he was feeling it from the midrange and beyond the arc, each bucket keeping the Thunder fans on their feet. But it wasn't just him—Alex Caruso came off the bench dialed in, dropping 20 much-needed points. Jalen Williams added 19, Aaron Wiggins hit key shots for 18 points, and Chet Holmgren powered through in the paint and from deep to put up 15. Talk about a true team effort.
After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was quick to pump the brakes on any celebration: “We did some things good tonight. We did some things bad. We've got to be able to get better and be ready for Game 3.” That sums up the Thunder mindset this season: don’t get too high after a win, don’t get too low after a loss.
Pacers’ Offense Stalls as Thunder Regain Control
The Pacers, for the first time in the postseason, looked stuck in second gear. Remember Game 1, where Indiana stormed back late by erasing a 15-point deficit? None of that magic showed up Sunday. Tyrese Haliburton led all Pacers with just 17 points, and he never really found that takeover gear. Myles Turner chipped in 16, Pascal Siakam had his moments with 15, but the attack fizzled out before it could ever scare Oklahoma City’s defense.
Here’s a stat that really tells the story: Indiana hasn’t had even one player score 20 points in either of the first two Finals games. That hasn’t happened to a team on this stage since the LeBron-led Miami Heat a decade ago. It’s a strange and frustrating mark for a team that’s been hungry and creative all year.
This Game 2 win for Oklahoma City wasn’t just about tying the series. It broke the Thunder’s NBA Finals dry spell that’s been hanging over the franchise since their lone win in the 2012 Finals opener—back when Kevin Durant was still suiting up for OKC. The sense of urgency showed on every possession, especially on defense, where the Thunder made it hard for the Pacers to get into any kind of flow.
Now all eyes shift to Indianapolis, where Game 3 will be a massive event. The Pacers haven't hosted an NBA Finals game in 25 years, and you can bet that arena is going to be loud. Indiana’s going to need to tap into that home energy if they want to swing momentum back their way. Meanwhile, the Thunder are rolling into town with new confidence, ready to prove this wasn’t just a one-night statement—they’ve been responding to adversity all season and aren’t about to stop now.
