OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander completed off his MVP season with 29 factors and 12 assists, and the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder gained the NBA championship, pulling away within the second half to beat the Indiana Pacers 103-91 on Sunday evening.
Jalen Williams scored 20 and Chet Holmgren had 18 for the Thunder, who have been pushed to a Sport 7 brink within the NBA Finals — however completed off a season for the ages. Oklahoma Metropolis gained 84 video games between the common season and the playoffs, tying the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for third-most in any season.
Solely Golden State (88 in 2016-17) and the Bulls (87 in 2015-16) gained extra.
It’s the second championship for the franchise. The Seattle SuperSonics gained the NBA title in 1979; the workforce was moved to Oklahoma Metropolis in 2008. There’s nothing within the rafters in Oklahoma Metropolis to commemorate that title.
Subsequent October, a championship banner is lastly coming. A Thunder banner.
It was not simple to safe.
The Pacers led 48-47 on the half even after losing star guard Tyrese Haliburton to what his father mentioned was an Achilles tendon damage about seven minutes into the sport. However they have been outscored 34-20 within the third quarter because the Thunder constructed a 13-point lead and commenced to run away.
Bennedict Mathurin had 24 factors and 13 rebounds for Indiana, which nonetheless is ready for its first NBA title. The Pacers — who have been 10-15 after 25 video games and have been bidding to be the primary workforce in NBA historical past to show that dangerous of a begin right into a championship — had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 within the collection, however they merely didn’t have sufficient ultimately.
Residence groups at the moment are 16-4 in NBA Finals Sport 7s. And the Thunder turned the seventh champion within the final seven seasons, a run of parity like none different in NBA historical past.
Pacers ahead Pascal Siakam was a part of the Toronto workforce that gained in 2019, Thunder guard Alex Caruso was a part of the Los Angeles Lakers workforce that gained within the pandemic “bubble” in 2020, Milwaukee gained in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Pacers ahead Thomas Bryant and Denver prevailed in 2023, and Boston gained final yr’s title.
The Thunder are the ninth franchise to win a title in NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s 12 seasons main the league. His predecessor, David Stern, noticed eight franchises win titles in his 30 seasons as commissioner.
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