Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA Champions
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 29 points and wins Finals MVP
The Oklahoma City Thunder have won the 2025 NBA Championship after beating the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7. The match was played in front of home fans at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29 points and 12 assists. He was named the Finals MVP and had already won the league’s regular season MVP and top scorer awards. He is the first player to win all three in the same year since Shaquille O’Neal in 2002.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. “We worked so hard for this moment. We deserve it.”
This is the Thunder’s first NBA title since the team moved from Seattle in 2008. They finished the regular season with 68 wins – one of the best records in NBA history.
The Indiana Pacers started strong, but lost star player Tyrese Haliburton early in the game with what appeared to be an Achilles injury. He left the court in tears and didn’t return.
Even without their top player, the Pacers kept the score close and led by one point at halftime. But in the second half, the Thunder took control. Gilgeous-Alexander scored a big three-pointer in the third quarter, and OKC began the final quarter with a 9-0 run.
The Pacers had made many comebacks in the playoffs, but this time they couldn’t recover. The Thunder’s strong defence and smart play sealed the win.
The NBA Finals were exciting despite both teams coming from smaller markets. The Pacers, surprise winners of the Eastern Conference, pushed the Thunder all the way to Game 7, but in the end, Oklahoma City were too strong.
