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Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Live updates, highlights from Game 2 of the NBA Finals

Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Live updates, highlights from Game 2 of the NBA Finals

Yahoo9 hours ago

After a two-day break, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers meet for Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.
How will the Thunder respond after losing Game 1 at home, 111-110, in nearly inexplicable fashion, blowing a 15-point lead before losing on Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left on the clock? Does OKC shake the defeat off, chalking it up to a near-miraculous sequence by the Pacers?
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On the other side, will Indiana involuntarily ease up after getting a win on the road and stay content with taking a 1-1 tie back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse? Or will the Pacers push down on the gas with the opportunity to go up 2-0 in the series and put the Thunder in a hole with the next two games on their home court?
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points for OKC in Game 1. Indiana seemingly has to find an answer for him. But maybe the strategy is to let him score and keep his teammates in check. Jalen Williams was the Thunder's second-leading scorer with 17.
Haliburton scored only 14 points in Game 1, tied for the fourth-highest total among the Pacers. He obviously hit the shot that mattered most, but Indiana coach Rick Carlisle countered the Thunder's defensive effort by giving Andrew Nembhard ball-handling responsibilities in the fourth quarter. That allowed Haliburton to save energy and Indiana to get into its offense faster.
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If the Pacers win Game 2, the team with a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals has a 93% winning percentage. Taking a 2-0 lead as the road team has resulted in a series win 84% of the time.
How to watch Pacers-Thunder in Game 2 of NBA Finals
Date: Sunday, June 8
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Paycom Center | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
TV channel: ABC
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals:

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Hall of Famer Don Nelson selected as this year's winner of Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award

time17 minutes ago

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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Don Nelson has been invited to the NBA Finals countless times in recent years, always declining those opportunities. This time, his peers found a way to ensure he couldn't say no. Nelson — a Basketball Hall of Famer and three-time NBA coach of the year — was announced Sunday as this year's recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association. It will be formally given out Sunday night, about an hour before Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. 'History has already reflected Don Nelson's staggering contributions as a cutting-edge innovator and visionary of the NBA game,' said Pacers coach and NBCA President Rick Carlisle. 'Back in the '80s and '90s, he made teams adjust to historic pace, liberal 3-point shooting, inverted offense, and disruptive defensive schemes. All this while establishing himself as one of the most compelling personalities in all of professional sports.' Nelson, 85, retired in 2010 as the NBA's career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead of Lenny Wilkens' 1,332. Nelson kept that top spot for nearly 12 years before now-retired San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich passed him in March 2022. Popovich is part of the committee that selects the Daly award winners. 'One of my best friends in my life," Nelson said of Popovich. "So, I'm really, really proud to be here and to share this award. I made the Hall of Fame in 2012 and this is certainly as important to me as that award was.' Nelson is one of only two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three franchises. He got to that mark with Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State, and also coached New York briefly in his career. Nelson and Daly were close friends. They went head-to-head 41 times as coaches: Nelson's teams went 21-20 in those games. 'Chuck was an absolute genius in all facets of the game and life,' Nelson said. 'I'm glad I had the opportunity to coach against him, learn from him, and benefit from his knowledge. To say that I'm deeply touched to receive an award that bears his name would be an understatement. This is special.' Nelson took teams to the playoffs 18 times as a coach and won five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics. He started coaching in 1976 and what became known as 'Nellie Ball' soon created a buzz with him being generally credited for introducing what is now known as the point forward. His up-tempo offensive ways were probably best on display with Golden State in the 'Run TMC' era featuring Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. But his defensive schemes — including cross-matching and even writing the rules on illegal defense at the league's request, he said — should be remembered as well, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'I do appreciate the fact that he seemed boundless in terms of what he was willing to do, and he wasn't really relying on what was conventional,' Daigneault said. 'So, I have unbelievable respect for him.' The award is in Daly's memory and celebrates his 'integrity, competitive excellence, and tireless promotion of NBA basketball.' Prior recipients are Rudy Tomjanovich (2024), Rick Adelman (2023), Mike Fratello (2022), Larry Brown (2021), Del Harris (2020), Frank Layden (2019), Doug Moe (2018), Al Attles and Hubie Brown (2017), K.C. Jones and Jerry Sloan (2016), Dick Motta (2015), Bernie Bickerstaff (2014), Bill Fitch (2013), Pat Riley (2012), Lenny Wilkens (2011), Jack Ramsay and Tex Winter (2010) and Tommy Heinsohn (2009).

Thunder strike back as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominates Game 2 to even NBA Finals against Pacers
Thunder strike back as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominates Game 2 to even NBA Finals against Pacers

Fox News

time43 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Thunder strike back as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominates Game 2 to even NBA Finals against Pacers

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn't blow a lead to the Indiana Pacers this time, as they evened up the series at one apiece after a strong Game 2 win, 123-107. Last game, it was Tyrese Haliburton showcasing another bit of heroics with a last-second shot to win it for Indiana on the road in Game 1. But Haliburton, or any of his teammates, could get back into this game as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Co. ran up the score and kept it that way. The league's MVP had the right answer for the Pacers' wild come-from-behind victory in Game 1, going 11-of-21 from the floor and 11-of-12 from the charity stripe for a 34-point night to lead the game in that category. Gilgeous-Alexander also tallied eight assists, five rebounds, four steals and one block as he truly did it all on the court. The deep Thunder bench also provided some much-needed offense, as Alex Caruso had the hot hand from three-point range, hitting four of his eight attempts on his way to a 20-point night. Aaron Wiggins also added 18 points on an efficient 6-of-11 shooting with four rebounds to mark as well. In the starting five, Jalen Williams (19 points, five rebounds, five assists) and Chet Holmgren (15 points, six rebounds, one assist) also aided in the victory. Meanwhile, the Pacers struggled shooting from deep in this game, going 14-of-40 as a team (35%), which ultimately led to Oklahoma City pulling away in this one. Every Indiana starter had double-digit points, as the ball was spread around as it usually is in their offensive zone. Haliburton went 7-of-13 from the field for 17 points, but he was just 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. Myles Turner (16 points), Pascal Siakam (15 points, seven rebounds) and Andrew Nembhard (11 points) went a combined 3-of-13 from three-point territory, which has been uncharacteristic of them in these NBA Playoffs. The Thunder's largest lead in this game was 23, while the Pacers only led by three points during the contest. Of course, Indiana led by just 0.3 seconds last game after Haliburton's mid-range jumper rattled home. But on their home court, this is what many expected as the series heads back to Indiana on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. tip-off. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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