MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder capitalized on Tyrese Haliburton’s early exit, beating the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 to claim the 2025 NBA championship.
The heavens opened in Oklahoma City, and the basketball gods smiled upon Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.
SGA produced a masterful Game 7 performance in leading the Thunder past the Indiana Pacers, 103-91, to capture their first NBA title on Monday (PH time), June 23.
The reigning MVP finished with 29 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds in a brilliant outing, as Oklahoma City leaned on strong second half to overpower a Pacers squad that lost star guard Tyrese Haliburton to injury in the first quarter.
[ALSO READ: Tyrese Haliburton exits NBA Finals Game 7 with lower leg injury]
Haliburton exited early after collapsing to the floor with 4:55 left in the first quarter, pounding the hardwood in visible pain after planting on his right leg.
Feared to have suffered a right Achilles injury, the 24-year-old guard—who had been playing through a calf strain—was unable to put any weight on his leg and had to be helped off the floor.
Before the setback, Haliburton was off to a hot start, draining three triples and scoring nine of Indiana’s first 14 points in just seven minutes.
Down one at halftime, Oklahoma City turned up the jets in the third and led by as many as 21 points. The Thunder then held firm against a late Pacers rally to secure the win in front of their home crowd inside the Paycom Center.
Jalen Williams added 20 markers for OKC, while Chet Holmgren tallied five blocks on top of netting 18 points. Bennedict Mathurin topscored the Pacers with 22, while Pascal Siakam and T.J. McConnell had 32 markers in between them.
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]