OKLAHOMA CITY — No miracle comeback for the Indiana Pacers this time.
The Oklahoma City Thunder took Game 2 of the NBA Finals, 123-107, Sunday night at Paycom Center to even the series at one game apiece.
League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 34 points to lead all scorers. He added eight assists and, five rebounds and four steals. This time, he had help, with Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams both scoring in double figures after having quiet offensive nights in Game 1. Williams had 19 points while Holmgren had 15.
The Thunder saw major contributions from their bench, with Alex Caruso scoring 20 points and Aaron Wiggins tallying 18, including five 3-pointers.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 17 points, although the bulk of them came well after the game was decided, including 12 in the fourth quarter. He also had five turnovers. Myles Turner scored 16 and forward Pascal Siakam added 15. Seven Pacers finished in double figures.
The Thunder took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Pacers, 33-21. The Pacers had taken a 20-17 lead in the first quarter before Oklahoma City closed things out on a 9-0 run and extended that run into the second. Indiana trailed 59-41 at the half.
After that, the Thunder didn’t look back. The Pacers shot just 35% in the first half, while the Thunder shot 51%. Those numbers evened out a bit in the second half — the Pacers finished 45% on the game and OKC finished near 49% — but the damage was already done.
Every time the Pacers tried to make a run, Oklahoma City responded. OKC used a suffocating defense to force the Pacers into bad shots and turnovers, and while Indiana didn’t have 25 like Game 1, they were still inefficient on the offensive end.
All the while, Oklahoma City continued to knock down shots and make life miserable for the Pacers’ offense.
Unlike Game 1, the Pacers struggled on the boards, surrendering offensive rebounds that allowed the Thunder to keep possessions alive and build their lead. The Pacers gave up 11 offensive rebounds; OKC had a 43-35 advantage in total rebounds.
The Pacers trailed 109-89 with six minutes left in the game. Both teams emptied their benches with about three minutes left to play. Oklahoma City’s largest lead was 23 points.
With the series knotted at 1-1, things will shift to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Game 3. Tip is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.