Thunder Win 2025 NBA Finals: Recap and Analysis of Game 7 Victory Over Indiana Pacers

The Oklahoma City Thunder have officially claimed their first NBA championship since relocating to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008. The Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the Finals on Sunday, marking the culmination of an incredible season for the franchise. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers in Game 7 with 29 points, adding 12 assists and five rebounds. The Pacers played the majority of the game without their star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, who left in the first quarter with an Achilles injury. Indiana was led in scoring by backup guard Bennedict Mathurin, who finished with 24 points. Despite Haliburton's absence, the game remained close through the first half. However, the Thunder turned the game around in the third quarter, outscoring Indiana 34-20 and scoring 18 points off eight Pacers giveaways. For the game, Indiana had 23 turnovers, which the Thunder turned into 32 points. Oklahoma City also held the Pacers to only 41.4% shooting on field goals, with Indiana's 91 points being the team's lowest total of the playoffs. The championship caps the best season in OKC's 17-year history, with the Thunder winning 68 games during the regular season and entering the playoffs with the best scoring differential in league history, beating opponents by 12.9 points per game. The Thunder will finish the postseason with a 16-7 record, winning two Game 7s en route to a title. The Pacers, who pulled off at least one improbable comeback in each round of the playoffs, will now enter the offseason with some level of uncertainty after having come the closest the franchise has ever come to an NBA title. If Haliburton has a torn Achilles, he may miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season. The league will now shift its attention to the draft, which takes place Wednesday. Oklahoma City will have two selections in the first round.