NBA Finals: OKC sets the record straight

This time, there were no surprises, no heists. NBA Finals favorites Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34 pts, 8 assists, 4 int) and his Thunder teammates got the better of Indiana ( 123-107 ) Sunday at the Paycom Center. Clear, clean and without a hitch. The final score doesn't tell the whole story of their domination. In short, we saw the steamroller that dominated the regular season again. After their 110-111 loss in Game 1 , Mark Daigneault's men tied the series at 1-1 before the third round, Wednesday, in Indianapolis this time. The art of the rebound for OKC, who have lost only two of 19 games after a defeat this season. The mission seemed impossible for the Pacers. It was. But by taking a game in Oklahoma, their mission is still accomplished... One thing is certain in these NBA Finals: we will definitely be entitled to a fifth game, in Oklahoma.

A tight start to the game, with no transition. Despite their lead (16-11), the Thunder weren't in it offensively. With triples from Mathurin and Toppin, then Haliburton, Indiana took the lead (17-20). Virtually silent in Game 1, Holmgren broke free and scored the last seven shots of the first quarter (26-20 at the end of the first quarter, then 33-23). ​​Weighed down by shooting just over 30% at that point, the Pacers were really starting to suffer (42-27). "SGA" was getting hotter, as was the Thunder's defense. Unplayable. Indiana was completely lost (52-29). And the crowd was melting. Led by Siakam, Rick Carlisle's players got their heads above water (52-39) but Mark Daigneault got things back on track (59-40, then 59-41 MT).

Obviously, 18 points at halftime wasn't much for the Indiana miracle survivors, who didn't give up (69-56). But OKC's bench continued to do good, with five straight points from Caruso and a triple from Wiggins (79-60). Haliburton? He only made his second basket of the match with 4:04 left in the third quarter (79-64). Like the ball he was snatched from "SGA," the Game 1 hero failed to make an impact on the match. MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, on the other hand, had no such problem (87-67). Unstoppable. Noteworthy was an improbable sequence, with Bryant blocking Williams... with his hand in the circle. The referees didn't see it. Speaking of fire, Nesmith was racking up a string of long-range successes after a quiet first half (89-72, then 89-73). But it would have taken more to derail OKC's steamroller, with the Hartenstein/Holmgren inside connection (91-73, then 93-74 late in the 3rd quarter).

Turner's huge dunk didn't change anything, and Oklahoma City hammered home the win (100-78). Haliburton woke up (104-85), a little late. Wiggins, meanwhile, continued his festivities (107-85). He finished with 18 points in 21 minutes, shooting 5/8 from long range. He was one of five players with 10 or more points for OKC, along with "SGA" of course, but also Caruso (20), Jalen Williams (19 pts), and Holmgren (15). Indiana had six players: Haliburton (17 pts), Turner (16), Siakam (15), Mathurin, Nesmith (14), and Newbhard (11). Rick Carlisle surrendered with 4 minutes left (111-94), knocking out Haliburton. Mike Daigneault called his stars back with 2:42 on the clock (117-100). Frenchman Ousmane Dieng played 2 minutes (123-108 final score).