Oklahoma City Thunder Clinch First-Ever NBA Title
Oklahoma City Thunder clinched their first-ever NBA title after defeating the Indiana Pacers 103–91 in the decisive Game 7 of the Finals.
Canadian star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team to this crucial victory, scoring 29 points along with 12 assists, while Indiana lost their star Tyrese Haliburton early in the game due to a new injury.
Contributing to this most valuable win was also Jalen Williams, the second star in the young lineup coached by rising coach Mark Daigneault, scoring 20 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Chet Holmgren added 18 points.
For the losing side, Canadian substitute Bennedict Mathurin was the top scorer with 24 points, while fellow bench player T.J. McConnell and Cameroonian Pascal Siakam each added 16. Siakam failed to replicate the title-winning performance he once had with the Toronto Raptors.
Indiana had forced a Game 7 after a strong home win on Thursday in Game 6, 108–91, when Haliburton tried to push through a calf injury to lead his team to victory. However, beating Oklahoma at home again—as they did in Game 1—proved much harder after Haliburton went down just seven minutes into the game, leaving in tears.
The score was tied 16–16 seven minutes into the game when Haliburton slipped while trying to get past Gilgeous-Alexander, stretched out in pain, and repeatedly pounded the floor in agony before exiting the game. He had already made three of four three-point attempts before the injury.
Despite that, Indiana led 48–47 at halftime, but Oklahoma played all their cards in the third quarter (34–20), building a 13-point lead. The hosts never relinquished their advantage, which extended to 22 points in the fourth quarter that they ultimately controlled.
Oklahoma had finished the regular season at the top of the standings with 68 wins and 14 losses, giving them home-court advantage in the Finals. This Game 7 marked the 20th in league history and the first since 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, defeated the Golden State Warriors and their sharpshooter Stephen Curry.
Gilgeous-Alexander was named Finals MVP, becoming the first player in 25 years to win both the regular season and Finals MVP awards.
On their path to the title, Oklahoma swept the Memphis Grizzlies 4–0 in the first round, then narrowly edged the Denver Nuggets, led by Serbian giant Nikola Jokić, 4–3 in the Western Conference semifinals, before eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves 4–1 in the Conference Finals.
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