Game 7 of the NBA Finals is in the books! The Oklahoma City Thunder have won the 2025 NBA championship. How did they secure the title?
Related: Revisiting the last Finals Game 7: Cavaliers vs. Warriors
First quarter
Tyrese Haliburton has been the leader of the Indiana Pacers all season long, especially in the playoffs. With Indiana on the road in a Game 7 of the Finals, Haliburton decided to come out aggressive.
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Haliburton scored nine quick points on three triples in the first six minutes of play. This aggressiveness is something we had not seen early on from Haliburton in the first six games.
Just when things were going well for Haliburton, with 4:55 remaining in the opening quarter, Haliburton faked a shot and went to make a drive. As soon as he made his move, Haliburton fell to the floor in obvious pain.
The Pacers’ star guard has been dealing with a calf injury since Game 5. His calf gave out, which caused all Pacers fans to lose their breath.
Indiana still had Pascal Siakam. He scored seven points in the quarter to keep the Pacers close.
The Thunder were led by the MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored eight points, but got help. Alex Caruso hit two big threes for six points, and Chet Holmgren added five points.
After one quarter of play, OKC led 25-22.
Second quarter
The Pacers banded together without their star, and like all season long, their offense was spread around to all of the players. Indiana, led by Bennedict Mathurin’s six points, scored 26 in the second quarter, which helped them take a 48-47 lead into halftime.
The Thunder appeared to relax after Haliburton went down with his injury. There was no urgency in the second quarter for the Thunder. If they wanted to win a championship, they would have to change that problem in the third.
Third quarter
The Thunder would do just that: change their level of urgency. In the third, OKC took control, going on an 11-2 run to finish the quarter.
In the third, the Thunder outscored the Pacers 34-20, thanks to nine points from Jalen Williams. Holmgren added seven in the quarter and SGA scored six more points.
The Thunder took an 81-68 lead into the final quarter of play. It would’ve been worse, but the unsung hero for the Pacers, TJ McConnell, scored 12 in the third quarter.
Fourth quarter
The final period of Game 7 looked as if it was going to belong to the Thunder. OKC started the quarter off hot, extending their lead to 22 points with 7:41 left in the game.
Then, Indiana made a run. The Pacers went on a quick 11-1 run to cut the lead to 12 with 4:40 remaining. Ultimately, the Thunder were the better team.
With Indiana being shorthanded, they had no chance to stop this Thunder team. The Thunder have won the NBA championship, winning Game 7 103-91.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29 points and 12 assists. He was named the Finals MVP, capping off an incredible season.
