The Oklahoma City Thunder captured the 2025 NBA Championship on Sunday night with a 103–91 win over the Indiana Pacers in a highly anticipated Game 7. Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned Finals MVP honors after recording 29 points on 8-of-27 shooting, along with 12 assists and 5 rebounds.
Jalen Williams added 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting, and Oklahoma City’s defense took over in the second half. Still, this game may ultimately be remembered more for Tyrese Haliburton’s devastating first quarter injury than for the Thunder’s title-clinching performance.
Seven minutes into the game, Haliburton had already scored 9 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including three deep three-pointers. He came out aggressive and looked sharp. Then, at the 5:02 mark, Haliburton slipped while driving to the basket. He went down hard, screaming in pain, and could be seen pounding the floor in frustration. As play continued on the other end, Haliburton remained down until trainers reached him. He was helped to the locker room by Pacers medical staff and did not return.
Haliburton had been playing through a right calf strain suffered in Game 5, an injury that likely would have sidelined him for weeks if it had occurred in the regular season. He quieted concerns with a strong performance in Game 6, but Sunday night’s injury appeared more serious. Later in the broadcast, it was reported that he had suffered an Achilles injury. These injuries often require long recoveries and have previously kept stars like Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson out for an entire season.
Despite the loss of their star, the Pacers stayed locked in and took a 48–47 lead into halftime. Oklahoma City seemed to struggle adjusting to Indiana’s revised lineups, but that changed quickly after the break.
In the third quarter, the Thunder shifted into another gear. Their defense overwhelmed Indiana, forcing turnovers and shutting down passing lanes. TJ McConnell had a scoring burst, and Pascal Siakam kept attacking, but Indiana’s offense stalled. Beginning at the 8:32 mark of the third quarter, no Pacer other than McConnell scored for nearly 10 minutes. Oklahoma City led 81–68 entering the fourth and took control from there.
The Thunder pushed the lead to as many as 22 points in the final frame. Benedict Mathurin scored in bunches to trim the margin briefly, giving the Pacers a glimmer of hope, but Oklahoma City never let it slip away. With a comfortable lead in the closing minutes, Thunder players celebrated with their home crowd as time wound down.
Pascal Siakam finished with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting, along with 13 rebounds and 3 assists. Andrew Nembhard added 15 points and 6 assists on 4-of-10 shooting. McConnell contributed 16 points on 8-of-13 from the field, while Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Despite several strong individual efforts, Indiana committed 23 turnovers, a number that Haliburton’s presence might have helped prevent.
While the Pacers were dealt a brutal blow, Oklahoma City is a fully deserving champion. They entered the Finals as favorites, and an Indiana win would have been a significant upset. This Thunder team is the first in franchise history to win an NBA title since relocating to Oklahoma City, and just the fourth team ever to win 84 combined regular season and playoff games in a single year.
Gilgeous-Alexander became the first player since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to win the scoring title, league MVP, and Finals MVP in the same season. The Thunder are also the youngest team to win a championship in over four decades. With rising stars like Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, their future looks even brighter.
Gilgeous-Alexander dished out 12 assists in Game 7, but there is still room for growth in his playmaking and three-point shooting. If the Thunder are able to keep defenders like Alex Caruso and Lu Dort on the roster, both of whom anchor their perimeter defense, they could become even more dominant in the years ahead.
This Game 7 may not go down as a classic, but it will be remembered for years in Oklahoma City. A championship, a breakthrough season, and the start of something that looks like it could last.
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