SGA Leads Thunder In Game 2, Series Locked Going to Indianapolis

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put together a performance fit for an MVP Sunday night in Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals as the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar scored 34 points and, not to be contained on this night, led his team to a 123-107 victory to even up the series at one game apiece as it heads back to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Wednesday night. 

The Thunder put together a complete performance as their superstar led the way and they received high quality bench performances from Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins. 

In the first five minutes of Game 2, the Thunder turned the ball over three times, but regained their composure and took care of the rock for the remainder of the quarter, ending the frame on a 9-0 run. Chet Holmgren led with 9 points as the Thunder shot 10-for-21 in the opening 12 minutes. Holmgren was more aggressive and more involved than he had been in Game 1. 

The Pacers, after trailing by double digits, got within eight, 33-25, on a Bennedict Mathurin inside finish, but scores from Jalen Williams and Aaron Wiggins and a dunk by Holmgren were part of a run that widened the lead to 42-27, forcing a Pacer timeout. The lead swelled to 23 after another Wiggins triple and a close to the basket conversion by Gilgeous-Alexander. 52-29 home side and a 19-2 run. 

Indiana gave the Thunder brief flashbacks of Game 1 with a 7-0 run that included five points from Pascal Siakam and then an Aaron Nesmith triple. A Thunder timeout commenced with 2:40 remaining, holding a 52-39 lead.  

Who else but Gilgeous-Alexander was there to block the bruising, with a layup to stop the run, while a downtown make from Alex Caruso helped push the lead to 18 at 57-39. The Thunder went into the half with a 59-41 lead, Gilgeous-Alexander 6-for-11 from the field for 15 first half points, Holmgren 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Caruso posted 8 points in the first 24 minutes as the Thunder were shooting 51.1% to the Pacers’ 34.9%. The Thunder had 25 first half boards, the Pacers 21. Nine Pacer turnovers to the Thunder’s eight. 

Myles Turner, who finished the game with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists (6-for-12), had a strong third quarter and a ferocious dunk down the middle early in the fourth. With 7:37 remaining in the third, Aaron Nesmith hit a triple, and the Thunder called time with the lead trimmed to 15, 69-54. Caruso and Wiggins though were there again, both hitting triples in a run that saw the Thunder increase their lead to 19 at 79-60. The pair played exquisite bench games - Caruso 6-for-11 and 4-for-8 from 3-point range for 20 points, and Wiggins 6-for-11 and 5-for-8 from deep for 18 points. They helped the Thunder score 48 bench points as a unit. 

Tyrese Haliburton, who came alive in the fourth quarter with 12 of his 17 points (6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks) on 7-for-13 and 3-for-8 from downtown, scored just his second field-goal of the game deep in the third quarter to make the score 79-64. But it was Gilgeous-Alexander again who methodically came through, the stoic superstar calmly drilling a jump shot over tight coverage from Mathurin, the Canadian on the fellow Canadian. The shot, with 2:22 remaining in the third, gave the Thunder an 87-67 advantage. Moments later, Isaiah Hartenstein lobbed to Holmgren, who threw down a reverse jam. 91-73. The Thunder ended the quarter up 93-74, with Gilgeous-Alexander having 27 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds on 9-for-18 through three quarters. Jalen Williams posted 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists through three, and ended the game with 19-5-5 on 5-for-14 and 8-of-9 from the line. 

Haliburton began to assert himself in the fourth and put up 12 final frame points, but after a corner three from the Pacer star that made the score 111-94 with four minutes remaining, Pacer head coach Rick Carlisle pulled his starters - maybe a curious move given that Haliburton was in a groove but also maybe an intelligent one to keep his star’s rhythm going for Game 3. In the fourth, Haliburton was navigating nicely, and his floater was working. 

The Thunder finished the game at 48.8% to the Pacers’ 45.1%, while both teams made 14 triples (40 attempts for Indiana, 36 for the Thunder). The Thunder made 29-of-33 free-throw attempts, while the Pacers connected on just 19 in 26 tries. The Pacers managed just 35 rebounds, with Siakam leading with seven. The veteran made just three of his 11 attempts and finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Haliburton’s 17 led the Pacers, while Turner’s 16-4-4 on 6-for-12 and Siakam’s 15 were followed by Nesmith’s 14 on 4-for-8 from deep. Andrew Nembard scored 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, and Mathurin off the bench was 4-for-7 for 14 points, while T.J. McConnell posted 11 with 6 assists on 5-for-7. The Pacers’ 15 turnovers were a +9 improvement from Game 1, but Gilgeous-Alexander was on a mission on the evening, scoring inside, getting to his spots, and to the line. An efficient 11-for-21 and 11-for-14 from the stripe. Eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals, too. The Canadian also set a new record for most points by a player in their first two NBA Finals’ games. His 72 combined surpass Allen Iverson’s 71 in 2001. 

Caruso and Wiggins were primetime, Holmgren improved on his 6 points in Game 1, and Hartenstein grabbed 8 rebounds in 22 minutes. Meanwhile, the Pacers’ Obi Toppin shot just 1-for-8, a wrong way reversal from his 17 points on 6-for-9 in Game 1. 

For Game 2, the Pacers main guys have to be better - Haliburton needs to show aggressiveness from the jump, and Siakam needs to shoot better. They also cannot allow the Thunder’s bench to get going, as when guys like Caruso and Wiggins are rolling like they were in Game 2, the Thunder are impossible to contain. Siakam was 8-for-9 from the line but his eight misses in 11 attempts will not suffice. The Pacers need to attack more and need more rebounding. 

As the Pacers head home for Game 3, a positive is that they got the desired split in Oklahoma City. The negative is that SGA is grooving, and that the OKC bench is hot. Gainbridge Fieldhouse will be rocking on Wednesday for the city’s first NBA Finals game since June 11, 2000.