NBA Finals: Gilgeous-Alexander Shines as Thunder Beat Pacers to Level Series
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), scored 34 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 123-107 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The win means the series is now level at 1-1.
In Game 1, the Pacers pulled off a stunning comeback to win 111-110, but the Thunder responded strongly on Sunday night.
The Pacers had been aiming to become just the fifth team in NBA history to win the first two games in all four rounds of the playoffs. That dream was ended by a determined Thunder performance.
Gilgeous-Alexander was the star once again, with support from Alex Caruso, who scored 20 points off the bench. Jalen Williams (19), Aaron Wiggins (18), and Chet Holmgren (11) also helped secure the Thunder’s first NBA Finals win since 2012, when they beat Miami Heat in Game 1 of that year’s final.
The MVP has now passed Jalen Brunson of New York to become the top scorer in this year’s playoffs with more than 514 points.
“We did some things well tonight and some things not so well,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We just have to keep improving and be ready for Game 3.”
The Pacers, meanwhile, struggled. Myles Turner scored 16 and Pascal Siakam added 15, but no player reached 20 points. They are the first team since Miami in 2013 to go two finals games without a 20-point scorer.
Coach Rick Carlisle admitted his team were poor in the first half. “We just didn’t play well,” he said. “A little better in the second half, but you can’t wait to react in a game like this.”
Game 3 will be played on Wednesday in Indianapolis, which will host an NBA Finals game for the first time in 25 years.
