OKLAHOMA CITY — The wait is over. In just their 17th season since relocating from Seattle, the Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions.
In front of a raucous crowd at Paycom Center, the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 109-98 in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, sealing the franchise’s first title behind a masterclass from league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Despite losing Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton to a first-quarter Achilles injury, Indiana kept things tight for much of the game. When Myles Turner knotted the score at 56-56 with 8:32 remaining in the third quarter, the Finals felt like anyone’s to claim.
But then came the moment — a signature stretch from Gilgeous-Alexander that defined not just the game, but the series.
SGA drilled a cold-blooded 3-pointer at the top of the arc to ignite the run. On the next trip down, he drove and kicked to Chet Holmgren for another triple. Then, slicing through the lane, he drew defenders and found Jalen Williams wide open for the third straight Thunder 3-ball. Just like that, Oklahoma City led by nine and forced a Pacers timeout. The burst wasn’t over — SGA had scored or assisted on 14 straight Thunder points, capping a Finals MVP performance with 29 points and 12 assists.
“Shai’s run changed everything,” head coach Mark Daigneault said postgame. “That was a defining stretch of basketball from a defining player.”
Daigneault’s mid-game adjustment also proved pivotal. He inserted Alex Caruso to open the second half, and the veteran guard’s defensive energy sparked the Thunder’s signature chaos. Caruso finished with 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in 32 gritty minutes, helping Oklahoma City force 23 turnovers, which translated to 32 points — a trademark of the team’s identity all season.
For Indiana, the loss stung even more with Haliburton going down early. The Pacers, who had stunned the league with a Cinderella run to the Finals, battled valiantly behind Sonia Citron, Turner, and Andrew Nembhard, but couldn’t recover once OKC’s stars ignited the third-quarter barrage.
The championship caps a remarkable 68-win campaign for the Thunder and marks a new era — one officially owned by Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams.
Ironically, on the same day that Kevin Durant — the face of OKC’s original core — was traded to Houston, a new Thunder Big Three delivered the franchise its long-awaited trophy.
Final Score: Thunder 109, Pacers 98
Series MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 29 PTS, 12 AST, 6 REB, 3 STL (Game 7)
Key Stat: 23 Indiana turnovers → 32 Thunder points
Quote of the Night: “We built this from the ground up. Now we’re champions. And we’re not done.” – Gilgeous-Alexander
The Thunder are no longer chasing their past. They’re defining their future.
