Oklahoma City Thunder pack counterpunch in Game 2, even series with Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 2) shoots against the Indiana Pacers during Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals. PHOTO: REUTERS
– Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander learnt a lesson to open the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals.
'You can't just throw the first punch. You've got to throw all the punches all night,' the guard said after Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the visiting Indiana Pacers on June 8.
Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the Thunder threw plenty of haymakers, helping Oklahoma City to a 123-107 victory to even the best-of-seven series 1-1 going into Game 3 on June 11 in Indianapolis.
That was a departure from Game 1 on June 5, when the Thunder led by 15 in the fourth quarter before Indiana came back to win the game 111-110 on a basket in the final second.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way on June 8 for Oklahoma City, scoring 34 with eight assists, five rebounds and four steals, and went 11 of 12 on free throws.
There were plenty of areas of improvement from Game 1 for Thunder coach Mark Daigneault to point out after the victory.
Oklahoma City had more success turning Indiana's turnovers into points at the other end, got better production from centre Chet Holmgren and forward Jalen Williams, had nearly double the assists after posting a season-low 13 in Game 1, and got an offensive spark off the bench from Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins.
Daigneault said none of those alone were the difference maker, but all came together for a much better result for his team at Paycom Centre.
'We were just a little bit better in a lot of areas,' he said.
The biggest stretch of the game came in the second quarter, when the Thunder ripped off a 19-2 run that was fuelled by both their defence and Gilgeous-Alexander's finishes on the other end.
To that point, Oklahoma City's defence hadn't forced many turnovers and it hadn't taken advantage of the few it had caused. But during that big run, Gilgeous-Alexander scored seven of Oklahoma City's last nine points – all off Pacers' turnovers.
Indiana quickly answered with a 10-0 run to make it 52-39, but never got closer than that 13-point deficit.
The Thunder outscored the Pacers 26-12 in the paint in the first half and, for the series, now lead 88-68 in that category.
'They're the best team in the league at keeping the ball out of there... It's a tough task,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
In Game 1, WIlliams and Holmgren combined to shoot just eight of 28 from the floor, with Holmgren going just two-for-nine with six points. Holmgren looked much more settled early on in Game 2, hitting five consecutive shots after missing his first of the game.
While Williams wasn't overly efficient, scoring 19 points on five-of-14 shooting, he did go eight-for-nine at the free-throw line and added five assists. Holmgren finished with 15 points while Caruso added 20 and Wiggins 18 off the bench.
Tyrese Haliburton, the star of Game 1 after hitting the game-winning shot in the final second, led the Pacers with 17 points, though 12 of those came in the final quarter with the game fairly well in hand for Oklahoma City. Centre Myles Turner added 16 for Indiana, while forward Pascal Siakam scored 15 points on three-of-11 shooting.
Over the first two games of the series, Haliburton has a combined three-for-nine with nine points before half-time.
'I have to figure out how to be better at the beginning of games. Kudos to them, they are a great defensive team but (I'll) watch the film and see where I can get better,' the guard said.
A big part of the Thunder's defensive success against Haliburton has been thanks to forward Luguentz Dort. He has spent plenty of time guarding Haliburton but was on the opposite side of the floor for Haliburton's Game 1 winner.
Dort finished with just three points, though Caruso gave Dort plenty of credit for the victory. He said: 'He knows the role he needs to play for us to win the series and pick up that trophy at the end.'
Carlisle, meanwhile, brushed off an invitation to dwell on Haliburton's struggles in the early part of games, stressing that the Pacers had collective responsibility for scoring.
'There's a lot more to the game than just scoring. So everybody's got to do more. It starts with the best players,' Carlisle said.
'So people shouldn't just look at (Haliburton's) points and assists... that's not how our team is built. We are an ecosystem that has to function together, and stats – we've got to score enough points to win the game, but who gets them and how they get them, not important.' REUTERS, AFP
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