MANILA, Philippines – After a shocking Game 1 defeat, the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back in dominant fashion, dismantling the Indiana Pacers 123–107 to even the series at 1–1 on Monday, June 9, 2025 (Manila Time).
Unlike Game 1, where Oklahoma City set the early tone, Game 2 was a different story. The Pacers came out firing, pushing the pace and forcing four lead changes in less than three minutes.
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| SGA shines anew, helps OKC level the Finals series. Photo courtesy: X/NBA |
The Eastern Conference champions kept pace with the West’s best, matching Oklahoma City’s three-point shooting while locking in on defense with key stops.
As usual, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge for OKC in the early minutes. On the other end, it was Andrew Nembhard carrying the load for Indiana, while Game 1 hero Tyrese Haliburton remained scoreless.
Both teams showed balanced ball movement, with scoring not solely reliant on their stars. Bench players stepped up as well, knocking down key shots to keep the game tight.
Both squads locked in defensively, keeping the score deadlocked at 17 with two minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Chet Holmgren, quiet in the previous game, took over late in the quarter as he blocked shots and scored crucial buckets to give OKC a 26-20 lead after one.
Oklahoma ramped up their offense in the second quarter, threatening to pull away. What was once a tied game quickly turned into a near double-digit lead for the Thunder.
In the blink of an eye, Oklahoma City's lead ballooned to 15 points. The Pacers suddenly went ice cold on offense and struggled to find any rhythm, resembling the sluggish start they had back in Game 1.
Indiana wasn’t just plagued by a scoring drought as turnovers continued to pile up and MVP Gilgeous-Alexander found his rhythm shortly after Holmgren’s early surge.
Down by 23, Indiana fought back with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit before halftime. OKC, however, responded quickly with their own surge and went into the break holding a 59-41 lead.
Alongside SGA and Holmgren, Jaylen Williams also reached double figures early in the second half. Oklahoma maintained their composure while Indiana’s struggles carried on.
The pattern continued in the second half as Indiana kept making runs to close the gap, but Oklahoma always had an answer to keep their lead intact.
Haliburton was clearly the missing piece for the Pacers, managing just his second field goal of the game with under four minutes left in the third quarter.
Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins joined the scoring spree for OKC, helping stretch the lead even further as they entered the final quarter up 93-74.
Despite facing a huge deficit, the Pacers opened the fourth quarter with a statement as Myles Turner threw down a thunderous tomahawk dunk over Isaiah Hartenstein, igniting a spark for Indiana.
Learning from their Game 1 mistakes, Oklahoma tightened their defense against Indiana while maintaining strong offensive pressure. By midway through the fourth, OKC held a commanding 20-point lead.
ANOTHER FINALS 30-PIECE FOR SGA ‼️
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2025
⚡️ 34 PTS
⚡️ 8 AST
⚡️ 5 REB
⚡️ 4 STL & 1 BLK
72 PTS through his first 2 Finals games, THE MOST in NBA history 🌟 pic.twitter.com/kdUtf5iqcq
Confident with their huge lead, OKC head coach Mark Daigneault rested his starters and sent in his third-stringers to close out the game.
Similarly, Coach Rick Carlisle gave his reserves minutes to gain experience and prepare for Game 3 on their home court.
The Thunder bench didn’t let down OKC fans, preserving the comfortable lead and sealing a 123-107 victory to even the series at 1-1.
— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express