moranelkarifnews : Thunder beat Pacers in Game 7 to win franchise’s first NBA title in Oklahoma City

The Thunder became NBA champions on Sunday evening, topping the Indiana Pacers 103-91 to capture Oklahoma City’s first major pro sports title.

Oklahoma City’s Game 7 answer, as during their dominant regular season, was youth. NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and dished 12 assists to lead his team, supported by strong efforts from forward Jalen Williams (20 points) and Chet Holmgren (18 points, eight rebounds). The game was won amid decibel counts above 100, with thousands of Thunder fans stamping in unison as the team’s trio of young stars pushed the club toward the franchise’s first title since moving from Seattle in 2008.

“We definitely have room to grow that’s the fun part of this, we don’t have many people in their quote unquote prime,” said Gilgeous-Alexander after the game.

The Thunder overcame yet another relentless performance from the Pacers, who worked most of Game 7 without Tyrese Haliburton. The All-Star point guard splashed three three-pointers in the game’s first seven minutes before falling to the floor in the first period driving on the Thunder defense, crumpling without contact, immediately slapping the floor in anguish. The Pacers ruled him out for the remainder of the game with a lower leg injury. The player’s father, John, later told ESPN his son had injured his achilles.

“I could not imagine that happening in the biggest game of my life,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “It is so unfortunate, it is not fair.”

The Pacers led by five with Haliburton on the floor, and the first half featured 11 lead changes with nine ties, but Indiana ran out of energy competing without their All-Star as the evening moved along. Reserve Pacer point guard TJ McConnell, whom the Thunder already prepared to hound after his superb Game 5 and 6 finals performances, contributed 16 points and six assists but also seven turnovers, working a season-high 28 minutes.

The Thunder kept their longtime large starting lineup. Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren started together, and the home team remained tall, keeping the two bigs in the lineup as super sixth man Alex Caruso entered alongside the two seven-footers (a rare look) in the first quarter, immediately splashing two three-pointers.

Caruso started the second half and was key in spreading the floor for Williams, only 24, who scored nine points in the third quarter. Holmgren, who recently turned 23, managed seven in the period. Gilgeous-Alexander, who will be 27 in July, hit for six points and three assists in the third as the Thunder outscored the visitors 34-20 in the decisive third quarter, driving a close game into a rout.

A three from Myles Turner tied the score at 56-56 in the third before the Thunder responded with a trio of three-pointers from their foundational triptych: Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams in a row. McConnell turned it over twice in the stretch as the Thunder ran a one-point half-time deficit into an 81-68 advantage meeting the fourth quarter.

Bennedict Mathurin’s transition scoring dragged Oklahoma City’s 22-point lead down to 12 with 4:40 left in Game 7 before Gilgeous-Alexander pushed the Thunder into the free-throw bonus, a whistle earning ire from Pacer coach Rick Carlisle, who was close to being ejected.

Gilgeous-Alexander extended the lead to 14 with two free throws, McConnell missed a layup over Holmgren, and the Thunder saw their first NBA title in Oklahoma City take hold.

Gilgeous-Alexander was named finals MVP, capping a brilliant season for the Canadian star.

“This isn’t just a win for me,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “This is a win for my family. This is a win for my friends. This is a win for everyone who was in my corner growing up. This is a win for the fans.”

The night was dampened by Haliburton’s injury and absence. The Pacer guard delighted NBA fans in canning buzzer-beating, game-winning baskets over Milwaukee, Cleveland, New York, topping the Thunder in Game 1 with the game’s deciding basket after yet another Pacer comeback win. An achilles injury could knock Haliburton out for all of 2025-26, knowledge not lost on his teammates as they sweated to battle the Thunder.

Indiana gave all, but the Thunder owned more.

The Thunder became NBA champions on Sunday evening, topping the Indiana Pacers 103-91 to capture Oklahoma City’s first major pro sports title.

Oklahoma City’s Game 7 answer, as during their dominant regular season, was youth. NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and dished 12 assists to lead his team, supported by strong efforts from forward Jalen Williams (20 points) and Chet Holmgren (18 points, eight rebounds). The game was won amid decibel counts above 100, with thousands of Thunder fans stamping in unison as the team’s trio of young stars pushed the club toward the franchise’s first title since moving from Seattle in 2008.

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“We definitely have room to grow that’s the fun part of this, we don’t have many people in their quote unquote prime,” said Gilgeous-Alexander after the game.

The Thunder overcame yet another relentless performance from the Pacers, who worked most of Game 7 without Tyrese Haliburton. The All-Star point guard splashed three three-pointers in the game’s first seven minutes before falling to the floor in the first period driving on the Thunder defense, crumpling without contact, immediately slapping the floor in anguish. The Pacers ruled him out for the remainder of the game with a lower leg injury. The player’s father, John, later told ESPN he fears his son has torn his achilles.

“I could not imagine that happening in the biggest game of my life,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “It is so unfortunate, it is not fair.”

The Pacers led by five with Haliburton on the floor, and the first half featured 11 lead changes with nine ties, but Indiana ran out of energy competing without their All-Star as the evening moved along. Reserve Pacer point guard TJ McConnell, whom the Thunder already prepared to hound after his superb Game 5 and 6 finals performances, contributed 16 points and six assists but also seven turnovers, working a season-high 28 minutes.

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The Thunder kept their longtime large starting lineup. Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren started together, and the home team remained tall, keeping the two bigs in the lineup as super sixth man Alex Caruso entered alongside the two seven-footers (a rare look) in the first quarter, immediately splashing two three-pointers.

Caruso started the second half and was key in spreading the floor for Williams, only 24, who scored nine points in the third quarter. Holmgren, who recently turned 23, managed seven in the period. Gilgeous-Alexander, who will be 27 in July, hit for six points and three assists in the third as the Thunder outscored the visitors 34-20 in the decisive third quarter, driving a close game into a rout.

A three from Myles Turner tied the score at 56-56 in the third before the Thunder responded with a trio of three-pointers from their foundational triptych: Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams in a row. McConnell turned it over twice in the stretch as the Thunder ran a one-point half-time deficit into an 81-68 advantage meeting the fourth quarter.

Bennedict Mathurin’s transition scoring dragged Oklahoma City’s 22-point lead down to 12 with 4:40 left in Game 7 before Gilgeous-Alexander pushed the Thunder into the free-throw bonus, a whistle earning ire from Pacer coach Rick Carlisle, who was close to being ejected.

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Gilgeous-Alexander extended the lead to 14 with two free throws, McConnell missed a layup over Holmgren, and the Thunder saw their first NBA title in Oklahoma City take hold.

The night was dampened by Haliburton’s injury and absence. The Pacer guard delighted NBA fans in canning buzzer-beating, game-winning baskets over Milwaukee, Cleveland, New York, topping the Thunder in Game 1 with the game’s deciding basket after yet another Pacer comeback win. An Achilles injury could knock Haliburton out for all of 2025-26, knowledge not lost on his teammates as they sweated to battle the Thunder.

Indiana gave all, but the Thunder owned more.