Oklahoma City started out strong and then kept its foot on the gas for the rest of the game as they came back from a disappointing loss in Game 1. OKC was not slowing down this time, and they made sure that they would not blow another colossal lead in the fourth quarter as they claimed their first win in the NBA Finals – the team’s first since the 2012 edition.

The Thunder controlled pretty much everything in the game, and it was seen as the perfect answer from a team that has never lost the second game after a loss. OKC has gone 6-0 in that regard and has now evened up the series – an impressive outing that showed their massive potential as the youngest team in the league.

OKC’s big three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren combined for 67 points, and they are starting to meet the moment with the elite level that many fans and critics are looking for. Now that the series is shifting to Indiana, there’s a lot of pressure for the West champions to prove that they are actually born to play in the moment.

So, What Changed?

OKC was certainly looking for a lot of answers following that tough finish in Game 1. Is Cason Wallace starting the game? Retained. OKC playing with a strong pace? Still the same. Is Indiana turning the ball over a lot? Nope, not this time. The turnover battle was still won by the Thunder, but it was just by two.

Oklahoma City did, however, win the points in the paint at 42-34, and so is the battle of the glass – controlling the boards at 43-35. Everything was going right for the team, and it worked well for the team as they now tied the series at one apiece. They narrowly avoided an 0-2 hole, and that’s what the best team in the league has done so far.

Game 1 showed Indiana’s depth and promising level of play, but OKC dominated them and did not allow any Pacers player to score more than 18 points. Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points, but he was only five points at the half.

The Thunder’s bench, however, was blazing hot with Alex Caruso scoring 20 points and Aaron Wiggins finishing with 18. Everything was in favor of OKC, and they did not hold back to come up with some of the most impressive performances in the NBA Finals.

A Sen-Shai-Tional Night

Speaking of a promising Finals performance, SGA was all over the place in the Thunder’s win. After putting up 38 points in Game 1, the 2025 MVP kept the same pace and had 34 points – totaling 72 points for the first two games, which is the most in the history of the Finals.

SGA did a bit of everything, he scored 34 points, eight assists, five rebounds, four steals, and a block – and his co-stars also stepped up to the plate. He is also the fourth player to have back-to-back Finals games with +30 points and more than three steals since LeBron James (2016), Dwyane Wade (2006), and Rick Barry (1975).

What makes it even better is that Gilgeous-Alexander has also tied the record for most games with 30+ points and 5+ assists in a single playoff run at 11. The elite company that he runs with? LeBron James (3x) and Michael Jordan (2x).

This series is shaping up to be one of the highly competitive NBA Finals clash so far, and it is definitely going to be a blast with both teams grinding it out to make the best adjustments heading to Game 3 in Indianapolis.