Player grades: Thunder win NBA championship with 103-91 Game 7 win over Pacers

Yahoo

3 hours ago

Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault during the fourth quarter of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
OKLAHOMA CITY — Don't expect OKC to go to sleep anytime soon. For the first time since their 2008 relocation, the Oklahoma City Thunder have won an NBA championship. The fanbase finally reached the mountaintop after decades of coming up just short.
The Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in a 103-91 Game 7 win. It was the grand conclusion of an exciting 2025 NBA Finals that went the distance.
Advertisement
Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Thunder had a slow start. Blame it on Game 7 nerves. The offense couldn't get going. Tyrese Haliburton nailed his first three looks from the outside. Everything went in the Pacers' favor.
And then on a turnover, Haliburton went down. He needed to be helped off the court. The Pacers' worst nightmare came to life. Playing with a calf strain, everybody's first thought went to a possible torn Achilles. While Indiana didn't confirm the injury, he was ruled out the rest of the way after just seven minutes.
That shattered any optimism for the Pacers. The Thunder finished the first quarter with a 25-22 lead. But credit Indiana, it kept hanging around. That's what they've done all playoffs. They scored 26 points in the second frame to make OKC sweat nerves.
Andrew Nembhard nailed a stepback 3-pointer in the final seconds. The Pacers had a 48-47 halftime lead. Frustration was the mood for most Thunder fans at the break. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stepped up, but Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren struggled.
Advertisement
It felt similar to Game 1. The Thunder should've been up by a lot of points at the break. Not down by one. Especially with Haliburton out. But the Pacers wouldn't go away as the rest of the roster stepped up in their franchise player's absence.
Then the Thunder finally found their stride out of the break. Without their lead ball-handler, the league's best defense created plenty of turnovers. A bunch of steal-and-score sequences led to a signature avalanche run. The Thunder scored 34 points in the third frame to go up by double-digit points.
TJ McConnell was Indiana's only source of buckets. He got by Cason Wallace and others pretty easily. But once the Thunder shut him down, they didn't have much else. The Thunder had an 81-68 lead after the third quarter.
Nobody wanted to say it aloud, but everybody thought it. The Thunder were 12 minutes away from glory. All they needed to do was stiff-arm the Pacers long enough. Holmgren pushed OKC's lead to a game-high 90-68 with a little under eight minutes left.
Advertisement
Considering just how difficult points came for the Pacers, it would've taken a miracle for them to mount one last comeback. The Thunder had a few scares as Indiana cut it to as little as 10 points, but the final minutes turned into a free-throw battle that delayed the inevitable.
The Thunder shot 40% from the field and went 11-of-40 (27.5%) from 3. They shot 22-of-31 on free throws. They had 20 assists on 35 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points and 12 assists. He was named the NBA Finals MVP. Williams finished with 20 points on 20 shot attempts. Holmgren had 18 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace each scored 10 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Pacers shot 41% from the field and went 11-of-28 (39.3%) from 3. They shot 22-of-29 on free throws. They had 17 assists on 29 baskets. Four Pacers players scored double-digit points.
Advertisement
Bennedict Mathurin led the way with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Pascal Siakam had 16 points and four rebounds. Nembhard finished with 15 points and six assists. McConnell scored 16 points. Haliburton had nine points before he was injured.
The Thunder finally did it. They won an NBA championship. And cap off one of the greatest seasons ever. From 68 wins to the best point differential ever, this season will go down in league history as one of the most dominant campaigns seen.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) controls the ball againstIndiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Matched up against Aaron Nesmith, Gilgeous-Alexander went for the kill. He finally swished in one of his stepback 3-pointers. The timely bucket set the tone for the rest of the fourth quarter that saw the Thunder celebrate their first championship.
Advertisement
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points on 8-of-27 shooting, 12 assists and five rebounds. He shot 2-of-12 from 3 and went 11-of-12 on free throws. He also had two blocks and a steal.
Not the prettiest performance, but Gilgeous-Alexander gutted out a Game 7 NBA Finals win. It doesn't get higher stakes than that. The Pacers looked shell-shocked once Haliburton went down. That showed in their defense against the MVP winner.
And when he didn't, Gilgeous-Alexander leveraged his gravity to help his teammates. Plenty of kick-out baskets resulted in good looks from the outside. That's how you make the opponent rethink their defensive strategies.
Like he's done all year, Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the basket and drew contact. He had a busy night at the free-throw line because of it. Only fitting he did that once again at the biggest game of his life. Cry about it, NBA Twitter users.
Advertisement
Gilgeous-Alexander cemented his 2024-25 season as one of the greatest ever. An NBA Finals MVP was the cherry on top.
Jalen Williams: C-plus
Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) reacts after a play against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Receiving a pass from Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams coldly knocked down a catch-and-look attempt that sent the OKC crowd into a frenzy. That put the Thunder over 20 points and just roughly eight minutes away from their ultimate dream.
Williams finished with 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting, four rebounds and four assists. He shot 2-of-7 from 3 and went 4-of-6 on free throws. He also had two steals.
Not the most efficient outing, but Williams did enough to secure a championship. After a quiet first half, the 24-year-old stepped it up in the second half with some transition buckets to get into a groove. A 15-point second half made any first-half criticisms wash away.
Advertisement
With the Pacers wounded, the Thunder went all gas in the second half to create a double-digit lead. Williams helped with that with drives to the basket and mid-range jumpers he feathered in.
Chet Holmgren: B-plus
Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Swatting away McConnell's attempt, the Thunder had had enough of Indiana's pesky bench player. He kept the Pacers within arm's reach of the scoreboard with a flurry of buckets. Holmgren's rejection was met with a sigh of relief by the OKC crowd.
Holmgren finished with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, eight rebounds and five blocks. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 5-of-8 on free throws.
Advertisement
After a bad first half, it looked like Holmgren would fail to leave his scoring mark on the NBA Finals. A shame too, considering what he's done in the playoffs. But a 15-point second half quickly flipped that narrative. The Pacers couldn't contain the seven-footer.
A catch-and-shoot corner attempt must've felt like lifting a billion pounds off his shoulders. He's struggled from the outside all series and entered Game 7 shooting below 12% from 3. That was a quick boost of confidence that snowballed over for the rest of the game.
This is exactly what the Thunder needed from Holmgren. He bounced back from a forgettable Game 6 and cemented himself as an OKC legend. This ring means a little more for the 23-year-old. Considering the rollercoaster of a season he had from a hip fracture that cost him three months to being a key piece to a title winner.
Alex Caruso: B
Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) looks to pass while Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) defends during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
After his postgame interview, Caruso met with Daigneault behind the curtains and gave him a huge bear hug. Both have been tied to the hip with their starts on the G League's OKC Blue. Establishing himself as one of the league's best defenders in Los Angeles and Chicago, the 31-year-old's first year back at OKC finished with a championship.
Advertisement
Caruso finished with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, three rebounds and three steals. He shot 2-of-5 from 3.
Nobody feeds off the crowd's energy more than Caruso. He's talked about being too pumped up at times in the playoffs. To the point he needs to play calmer music to bring him back down. You can only imagine what he felt for this Game 7.
The Thunder trusted Caruso to complement the traditional four starters. He might've come off the bench, but he played the fourth-most Game 7 minutes for a reason. He started the second half in place of Hartenstein and the move paid off as they ran away in that frame.
Isaiah Hartenstein: A
Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Turns out, the double-big lineup is the one that won the Thunder a championship. After abandoning it for a more traditional look with Cason Wallace, OKC changed it mid-way through the series. The move paid off with a championship.
Advertisement
Hartenstein finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. He shot 1-of-3 on free throws. He also had a steal.
This was the best Hartenstein has looked in the NBA Finals. He was used more often as a roller to the basket. His size and rebounding helped when the offense couldn't get out of the mud. The playmaking also shone in the biggest game of his life.
The Thunder went two-for-two from last year's offseason acquisitions. Caruso gets all the love, but Hartenstein has been a steady presence who enjoyed a career season. Fair to say his decision to leave New York for OKC paid off.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder win title with 103-91 Game 7 win over Pacers