The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions.
Oklahoma City capped a thrilling NBA Finals Sunday night with a dominant second half in Game 7 to secure a 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers and the franchise’s first NBA title since it moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008.
A Pacers team that rallied for multiple unlikely wins throughout the playoffs kept pressure on in the fourth quarter after digging a 22-point hole. But without injured star Tyrese Haliburton, they couldn’t complete the comeback.
The win caps a brilliant season in which the Thunder posted a league-best 68 wins and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named league MVP for the first time. Gilgeous-Alexander powered the Thunder effort Sunday night to put away a Pacers team that pushed them to the brink.
The swarming defense that has become Oklahoma City’s trademark took over after halftime as the Thunder repeatedly turned Pacers turnovers into transition points.
For the game, Oklahoma City won the turnover battle 21-7 while securing 14 steals. The result was a 32-10 advantage in points off turnovers for the Thunder.
The game was marred by a significant injury to Haliburton in the first quarter. Haliburton had hit three quick 3s and appeared on pace for a big game with a team-high nine points early on. But Haliburton fell to the floor injuring his leg and could not return.
The Gotham Reporter 