Thunder cruise to commanding Game 2 win over Pacers to even NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY — This has been Oklahoma City's formula all season: Lose one game, respond in the next.
That's exactly what the Thunder did in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, Alex Caruso added 20 off the bench and the Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 123-107 on Sunday night to tie these finals at one game apiece.
Advertisement
5 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attempts a shot during Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 8.
AP
5 Tyrese Haliburton looks to pass during Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 8.
NBAE via Getty Images
Jalen Williams scored 19, Aaron Wiggins had 18 and Chet Holmgren finished with 15 for the Thunder. It was the franchise's first finals game win since the opener of the 2012 series against Miami.
'We did some things good tonight. We did some things bad,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'We've got to be able to get better and be ready for Game 3.'
Advertisement
Tyrese Haliburton scored 17 for Indiana, which erased a 15-point, fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1 but never made a push on Sunday. Myles Turner scored 16 and Pascal Siakam added 15 for the Pacers, the first team since Miami in 2013 to not have a 20-point scorer in the first two games of the finals.
5 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives with the ball during Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 8.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Game 3 is Wednesday at Indianapolis, in what will be the first finals game in that city in 25 years.
Advertisement
Gilgeous-Alexander's first basket of the night was a history-maker: It gave him 3,000 points on the season, including the regular season and playoffs. And later in Game 2, he passed New York's Jalen Brunson (514) as the leading overall scorer in these playoffs.
But the real milestone for the MVP came a couple hours later, when he and most everybody else on the Thunder got a finals win for the first time.
A 19-2 run in the second quarter turned what was a six-point game into a 23-point Thunder lead. It might have seemed wobbly a couple of times — an immediate 10-0 rebuttal by the Pacers made it 52-39, and Indiana was within 13 again after Andrew Nembhard's layup with 7:09 left in the third — but the Thunder lead was never in serious doubt.
5 Alex Caruso looks to shoot during the Thunder's Game 2 win June 8.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Advertisement
5 Andrew Nembhard tumbles to the court with the ball during Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 8.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With the noise level in the building often topping 100 decibels — a chainsaw is 110 dB, for comparison purposes — the Thunder did what they've done pretty much all season. They came off a loss, this time a 111-110 defeat in Game 1, and blew somebody out as their response.
Including the NBA Cup title game, which doesn't count in any standings, the Thunder are now 18-2 this season when coming off a loss. Of those 18 wins, 12 have been by double digits.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Full injury report for Wednesday's Thunder vs. Pacers Game 3 matchup
Full injury report for Wednesday's Thunder vs. Pacers Game 3 matchup The Oklahoma City Thunder travel on the road to face the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Wednesday. The championship series is tied at 1-1 apiece. The Thunder secured a 123-107 Game 2 win as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored an efficient 34 points and eight assists on Sunday. Alex Caruso had 20 points and Aaron Wiggins had 18 points off the bench to help out the MVP winner. Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton was limited to 17 points and six assists. Seven Pacers players scored double-digit points, but nobody reached 20-plus points. The Thunder continue to enjoy health luck. Only Nikola Topic (torn ACL) is out. Meanwhile, the Pacers will be without depth pieces. Jarace Walker (ankle sprain) is out. Isaiah Jackson (torn Achilles) is out. Tipoff from Indiana is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Claressa Shields wasn't happy after losing BET award to Angel Reese: 'I just thought accolades mattered'
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese had an excellent rookie season after a standout career at LSU. In her first season with the Sky, Reese averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds. That performance earned Reese an All-Star nod, a spot on the All-Rookie team and some down ballot MVP votes. It was also enough for Reese to secure her third straight BET Sportswoman of the Year award. Reese — who was up against a number of big-name candidates — won the honor during the BET Awards on Monday. Advertisement One of those candidates, however, wasn't pleased about the decision. Boxer Claressa Shields expressed disappointment over losing out on the award, saying, "I just thought accolades mattered." Shields expanded on those thoughts in additional tweets, saying she has more accolades and has experienced more success in her field than Reese. Shields also called the award a "popularity contest." Shields has accomplished quite a bit over her career. She's a two-time Olympic gold medalist who is a perfect 16-0 in her boxing career. She's been nominated for the BET Sportswoman of the Year award two other times, but lost out to Simone Biles in 2020 and Naomi Osaka in 2021. Advertisement While Shields has experienced plenty of success, the award only takes the previous year into consideration. Shields won the WBO light heavyweight and WBC heavyweight titles in 2024, but only took part in one fight. Reese, by comparison, finished out her college career, got drafted and excelled in the WNBA. She accomplished quite a bit last year. After receiving some backlash, Shields said she's "not joining in on any hate train" for Reese. Shields' comments came prior to the Sky's 85-66 loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday. Following the contest, Reese's teammate, Ariel Atkins, praised Reese for the way she continues to show up and play well despite the criticism she receives online. Reese led the Sky with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Four-star DB Devin Jackson 'feels way better about Miami' after visit
Miami, despite being in-state for Devin Jackson, is a new program among his long list of contenders. The Hurricanes didn't offer until this spring, not long after the arrival of Will Harris from the rival Florida Gators -- where he had Jackson on board as a commitment last year. Advertisement A four-star out of Orlando (Fla.) The First Academy, the rising-senior took an official visit to Coral Gables over the weekend and admits Mario Cristobal's program is working its way up his list. "I got to see the character of the coaches and the players," Jackson said. "All that matters coming into a program and I feel like all of that checked a green box for me. I feel way better about Miami. "It's a great school with a great culture." In experiencing said culture, another former UF commitment under Harris was also on his official visit in Jaelen Waters. The Tampa-area standout has been committed to the Hurricanes since March. Advertisement Time with the duo creates more familiarity with The U. "Me and Waters knew each other since we were at Florida together," Jackson said. "He knows how great of a coach he (Harris) is. It's still the same love with Harris. He says I'm still a major priority to him and Coach Cristobal. It's just the relationship we've built." CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info Oregon gets Jackson on campus for the second time this year on Friday. Penn State will earn an official visit during next week before Nebraska wraps up the slate beginning June 20. Advertisement Miami was once outside of that group of contenders, but it no longer appears to be the case. "Miami is close to home and the culture and everything at Miami is just great," Jackson said. A verbal commitment will come this summer, between late June and mid August as the top-20 safety projection gets into evaluation mode when the trips are each completed. "I'm taking my time with it," he said. "Not rushing anything. Either August or if I know where I'm going after officials I'll commit in July. "I have to see after my official visits where it weighs out." Marcus Benjamin contributed to this report.
