The Indiana Pacers defeat the OKC Thunder 108-91 in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder's historic run ends in heartbreak.
StatPro NBA Beat Reporter
The confetti fell at Paycom Center, but it wasn't for the home team. In a devastating end to a magical season, the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Indiana Pacers 108-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The dream of a championship, so close after a 68-win season, evaporated on a cold shooting night in front of a stunned home crowd.
'No place I'd rather play for a do-or-die game than here.'
The story of Game 7 was written in the box score's coldest numbers. The Thunder's typically fluid offense seized up at the worst possible moment, shooting a dismal 8-of-30 (27%) from beyond the arc. The Pacers' defense was relentless, keying in on MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forcing the entire team into tough, contested looks. While Jalen Williams led the effort with 16 points, it wasn't nearly enough to counter Indiana's balanced attack. The Thunder's top six players in the rotation combined for just a single made three-pointer, a statistic that tells the entire tale of a night where the basket seemed to have a lid on it.
It's crucial to step back from the sting of this single loss and view the entire masterpiece of the 2024-25 season. This team won a franchise-best 68 games. They secured the top seed in a brutal Western Conference and earned the home-court advantage that brought them to this very moment. From SGA's MVP-level campaign to Chet Holmgren's defensive dominance and the emergence of Jalen Williams as a legitimate star, this season was an overwhelming success that accelerated the Thunder's timeline from rebuilding to contending.
Before the game, defensive anchor Alex Caruso spoke about the advantage of playing the ultimate game in Oklahoma City. 'It's a reward for playing through the regular season that we did... No place I'd rather play for a do-or-die game than here,' he said. His words, filled with earned confidence, now hang in the air with a painful irony. The Thunder fought all year for this moment, on this floor, in front of these fans. That it ended in defeat is a harsh lesson, but one that will undoubtedly fuel the fire for this young squad.
This hurts. There's no other way to put it. But this is not the end for the Oklahoma City Thunder; it's the prologue. The core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams is just getting started. They've now felt the ultimate pain of falling short. Expect them to return next season hungrier, stronger, and more determined than ever to finish the job. The 2025 Finals may belong to the Pacers, but the future still feels like it belongs to OKC.
