2 in blue takes over Game 2.
Thunder roll to even the NBA Finals.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
June 9, 2025
Shai’s Special Night: SGA sparks an emphatic OKC win to even the series at home
Thunderous Response: The Thunder’s depth delivers in another bounce-back victory
Winning With Defense: How OKC’s relentless pressure broke Indy’s offensive rhythm
On The Ground: All-access inside a raucous Paycom Center for Game 2
Unforgettable: Inside Magic’s iconic junior, junior skyhook and why he’ll never forget it
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Up to Indy…
With the series tied 1-1, the NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV shifts to Indiana for Game 3 on Wednesday (8:30 ET, ABC).
Reads Of The Day: Catch up on some of the top stories from around the NBA world after last night’s Game 2.
- Washington Post: Thunder strike back to even the NBA Finals
- Yahoo Sports: OKC dominates Game 2 behind big game from SGA
- Andscape: How SGA and Haliburton are making signature sneaker history in the NBA Finals
- ESPN: Alex Caruso’s journey from G Leaguer to veteran leader
- NBC News: Just how rare have the Pacers’ comebacks been?
1. SGA LEADS THUNDER TO DOMINANT GAME 2 WIN IN OKC
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
The Thunder entered Sunday with an NBA-best 16-2 record following losses this season, including a 4-0 mark in the Playoffs.
In those four wins, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33.5 ppg.
With OKC staring down a 2-0 hole at home — something no team has ever overcome in Finals history — the Kia NBA MVP answered again.
Thunder 123, Pacers 107: In another all-around clinic, SGA dropped 34 points on 11-of-21 shooting (52.4%), along with eight dimes, four steals and one block, igniting an emphatic OKC win in Game 2 to even the series 1-1. | Recap
- “Unsurprising at this point – it’s just kinda what he does,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault on Shai’s performance. “He continues to progress and improve and rise to every occasion.”
Unflappable: In a game that history said OKC couldn’t afford to lose, its star remained steady. Never rattled. Never rushed. And now he’s reaching heights never seen before.
- Standing Alone: With 34 on Sunday and 38 in Game 1, SGA has totaled 72 points through his first two career Finals games – the most in NBA history
- Elite Efficiency: The only other player to hit 70? Allen Iverson, who did it in 70 shots compared to Shai’s 51
- All-Around Excellence: SGA’s just the fourth player ever to total 30+ points and 3+ steals in back-to-back games in the same Finals
- His Company? LeBron James in 2016, Dwyane Wade in 2006 and Rick Barry in 1975 – all of whom won Finals MVP en route to a title
SGA Elevation: From winning the scoring crown and Kia MVP to leading OKC to a franchise-record 68 wins and its first Finals trip in 13 years, Sunday was just the latest stage for Shai’s unshakeable brilliance to steer the Thunder forward.
- Only 12: With his Game 2 performance, SGA became just the 12th player in NBA history to reach 3,000 points in a single season (reg+post)
- Only Eight: It also marked his 13th 30-piece this postseason, a feat only achieved by eight previous players
- Only Greatness: But only three players have recorded 11 games of 30+ points and 5+ assists in a single Playoff run: LeBron James (3x), Michael Jordan (2x) – and now – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
But it’s not just his numbers – it’s his timing.
In a pivotal swing game – playing against a team with a play-by-play era record five 15+ point comebacks this postseason – it was Shai who sparked OKC’s surge before slamming the door shut.
- All Gas: With the game close in the 2nd Q, SGA sparked an OKC avalanche – scoring seven points in the span of 1:21 to cap a 19-2 burst, pushing its lead to 23
- No Brakes: In the 2nd half, he refused to let Indy claw back, pouring in 19 points and four assists before exiting to a standing ovation with 2:42 left
- “You can’t just throw the first punch,” said SGA after the win. “You gotta try to throw all the punches, all night – and that’s what we did. We threw enough punches tonight to get a W.”
2. A THUNDEROUS RESPONSE (AGAIN)
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Resiliency hasn’t been a question.
Losses are rare for this group, but when they do fall, they regularly rise back up.
Oklahoma City entered Game 2 needing victory to dodge a 2-0 hole in the NBA Finals and a winless stretch at home.
- Only five teams have rebounded from such a deficit in league history to ultimately lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy
- None of those five teams did it after losing the first two games at home
Consider that potential crisis averted.
- Call Answered… Again: The Thunder are now 17-2 this season after a loss, and a perfect 5-0 this postseason
- Decisive Fashion: They earned those five triumphs with a +19.6 average margin of victory, including last night’s 16-point win
Gilgeous-Alexander’s 34-piece met the moment, but players around him had moments of their own on a night where OKC’s offense regained form.
Jesse D. Garrabrant & Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Five Thunder ended in double figures. Five accounted for a steal. Eight grabbed three or more rebounds.
- Carushow: Leading all bench players with 20 points, Alex Caruso spearheaded the showcase of depth. He joined James Harden (2012) as the only OKC players with 20+ off the bench in the Finals
- Wiggin’ Out: Not far behind the 8th-year guard was Aaron Wiggins. He poured in 18 points in 21 minutes, knocking down five 3s
- Bench Bosses: Wiggins and Caruso became the 3rd off-the-bench duo with 18+ points apiece in a Finals game since 1970-71
Powered by 13 from SGA and Wiggins, OKC’s 19-2 2nd Q blitz took a tight one and turned it into a 23-pt lead.
That proved to be insurance aplenty as the team never trailed again.
Chet Holmgren’s 15 and Jalen Williams’ 19 rounded out a dominant performance. Both improved upon their 6 and 17-point efforts, respectively, from Game 1.
- Fantastic Five: Dating back to 2000, Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Holmgren, Caruso and Wiggins are now just the 5th quintet to each tally 15+ in a Finals game
3. WINNING WITH DEFENSE: OKC’S IDENTITY PREVAILS
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Since 2000, only two teams have averaged 115+ points per game and 28+ assists per game over the first three rounds of the Playoffs – the 2018-19 Warriors and the 2024-25 Pacers.
But in the Finals, the Pacers haven’t yet met either metric in either game.
The reason? Indy’s historic offense has run into a historic defense – one that’s wreaked havoc all postseason and is doing it again in the Finals.
- OKC Swarm: Owning the league’s top DefRtg, OKC entered the Finals as just the second team since 1973-74 to record 80+ blocks (89) and 170+ steals (172) in the first three rounds of a Playoff run
- On The Rise: Now, it’s at 99 blocks and 196 steals – including 14 swipes in Game 1 of the Finals and 10 last night
- Record Rate: That marks the 12th time the Thunder have totaled 10+ steals this postseason – tying the 1976-77 Blazers for most in a single Playoff run
- Finals Surge: Their 24 steals are also the third-most through the first two games of the Finals since steals were first tracked in 1973-74
How do they do it? Relentless activity – and connectivity – from top to bottom.
In Game 2, Cason Wallace posted the best plus-minus (+12) of OKC’s starting five with hustle like this – flying from a halfcourt trap, over to check Haliburton and then getting the steal beneath the rim.
Entering the Finals, the Pacers owned the second-best OffRtg this postseason (117.7), while ranking first in field goal percentage (49.7) and assists (28.1)
In the last two games against OKC, all three of those numbers have decreased, while Indy’s turnover average has jumped from 12.7 to 20.0.
One Key? Containing Haliburton, the orchestrator of Indy’s offense, by blitzing ball screens and rotating a steady stream of defenders to wear him down.
Alex Caruso has the quickness to deny Haliburton’s initial drive. After working back around a screen, Haliburton gets a step on SGA, but runs into a wall of defenders. Shai then recovers for the steal.
Wallace was another regular shadow on Haliburton, who gets the switch here but is immediately met by Hartenstein well beyond the 3-point line. Once Haliburton gets into range, Wallace flips back – denying the shot and forcing it out of his hands.
The End Result: Haliburton led Indy with 17 points, but was held to six assists and five turnovers – his lowest assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2) since Oct. 27.
The loss marks Indy’s first time being held under 112 points in back-to-back games all postseason.
- “They have a swarm mentality,” said Myles Turner postgame. “They sell out.”
4. ON THE GROUND: ALL-ACCESS TO GAME 2 IN OKC
The lights dropped. The OKC faithful rumbled. And the arena shook.
After Game 1 ended in stunned silence inside the Paycom Center, the building was buzzing all night in Game 2 – starting with an electric scene moments before tip-off.
- Center Stage: Take the floor alongside SGA as the building rocks around him with anticipation
- Courtside Calm: Catch Tyrese Haliburton’s signature net-stretch pregame ritual as he dials in amid the chaos
But the Game 2 festivities started long before the ball was in the air. Go behind the scenes with our all-access team and Player Correspondent Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat and witness the full Finals experience.
- Stars Arrive: The Kia NBA MVP arrived in typical Shai style, while Haliburton was again toting his new ‘Hali 1’ kicks
- Jaime Heat: Meanwhile, Jaquez Jr. shared the secret to keep his hair flawless before hitting the ground, chopping it up with Shaq and sharing his Finals prediction
- CP3, Kai In House: Former Thunder PG Chris Paul (with Chris Paul II) and creator Kai Cenat pulled up
- Cal & Shai: Another guest? Coach John Calipari, who shared a moment with his former Kentucky guard before the game
NBAE via Getty Images
Ball Up Top: After SGA and Haliburton met at center court to choose the game ball, Game 2 was off and running.
- Breen Bang: Haliburton earned a 1st-quarter “Bang” from Mike Breen – a make-up call after his Game 1 winner went without one: “I owe him that one so I had to do it early.”
- Kai Wired: Kai Cenat was mic’d up while sitting courtside and couldn’t get enough of OKC’s end-to-end action
- Kai x SGA: After evening the series, Shai made sure to catch up with his Kai postgame
- “We’ve been here before,” Alex Caruso told Jacquez postgame. “Every time we have been challenged … we’ve kind of risen to the occasion.”
5. UNFORGETTABLE: MAGIC’S ‘JUNIOR JUNIOR’ SKY HOOK
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Every great story needs a hook.
Thirty-eight years ago today, the Finals got one that still echoes through basketball history.
Game 4. 1987 Finals. Lakers vs. Celtics — the last Bird vs. Magic duel on the biggest stage.
Down 106-105 with seven seconds left and the Boston Garden on its feet, Magic Johnson took an inbounds pass from Michael Cooper, pump-faked to freeze Kevin McHale, then drove into a forest of defenders.
Robert Parish slid over. McHale recovered. But Magic had the answer, floating the signature move of his teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — the sky hook — just over their outstretched arms and into the net with two ticks left.
After the win, Magic dubbed it “the real junior, junior, junior sky hook,” noting that unlike Kareem’s, his had to come from closer in.
The third ‘junior’ didn’t stick — but the shot did.
Here’s Magic reliving the iconic moments years later:
“The first option was for Kareem. A couple years before I made a mistake trying to look for him and let the clock run out … so I was going to make sure that didn’t happen…
“We ran a pick-and-roll and McHale jumped out on me. I said, ‘If I got a big man on me, I’m gonna fake the shot.’ … And that’s what happened. I got one step on him and the only shot I could get off was the hook…
“I went right into it … and I got it just over them and – it went in. And we just went crazy…
“That was a special moment for me because people first didn’t think I could perform the way I could under pressure. They had never seen me hit ‘the big shot.’ So it showed not only myself but other people…
“But also our team – coming all the way back from 16 in Boston Garden. That was the game we had to win … and we got it. So it was special for me, personally … You never forget moments like that. You really cherish them. You just – keep ‘em.”
L.A. went on to win the series in six, marking the fourth of Magic’s five NBA titles.
