The Oklahoma City Thunder blew Game 1 of the NBA finals after holding a significant lead over the Indiana Pacers. In Game 2, they made sure there was no repeat, utterly dominating their opponents in a 123-107 victory that leveled the series at 1-1.
In Game 1, the Thunder had a 12-point lead at half-time and a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter before losing to the Pacers courtesy of a Tyrese Haliburton basket in the final second. On Sunday night, they took control of the game early on, but this time they didn’t let go.
Both teams would have been aware Oklahoma City were the better team for most of Game 1, before Haliburton inspired a late, great charge. In Game 2, the Thunder were superior in every facet of the game for the entire contest. The Thunder’s swarming defense gave the Pacers little time or space to shoot, while their offense kept the scoreboard ticking over.
For the second game in a row, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game’s top scorer, with 34 points, but also had excellent support off the bench notably from Alex Caruso and and Aaron Wiggins, who scored 20 and 18 points respectively.
The best-of-seven series heads to Indiana for Game 3 on Wednesday night.
Full report to follow …
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