The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA championship in franchise history, defeating the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to cap a historically dominant 68-win season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned Finals MVP honors with 29 points and 12 assists in the decisive game. The victory completed a rare quadruple for the league MVP, who also claimed scoring champion and NBA champion honors in the same season. Gilgeous-Alexander’s co-stars also played well in Game 7 as Chet Holmgren dominated defensively and scored an efficient 18 points. Jalen Williams struggled in the first half, but settled in to finish with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Game 7 was overshadowed by Tyrese Haliburton’s devastating left Achilles injury suffered with 4:55 remaining in the first quarter. Haliburton was ruled out for the game with a suspected Achilles injury. Haliburton converted three of his four three-point attempts before suffering the injury.
Indiana managed to take a 48-47 halftime lead despite losing their best player. Oklahoma City seized control in the third quarter, outscoring the Pacers 34-20 to build a 13-point advantage they never surrendered.
The Pacers mounted a late comeback attempt, cutting a 22-point deficit to 10 on Andrew Nembhard’s three-pointer with under two minutes remaining.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. “So many hours. So many moments. So many emotions. This group worked for it. This group put in the hours and we deserve this.”