Category: NBA

OKLAHOMA CITY — Game 1 of the NBA Finals saw an epic fourth-quarter comeback followed by a Tyrese Haliburton game-winning shot that will live forever in Indiana Pacers lore.

However, as many Pacers comebacks as we have seen this season, Game 2 was a reminder of Indiana's reality: If it continues to fall behind early against Oklahoma City's elite defense — the Pacers will lose the series. Through two NBA Finals games, the Thunder have led for 91:22 minutes to the Pacers 1:53, and that's not a recipe for success.

"Another bad first half. Obviously, it was a big problem, and we just played poorly," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Sunday night after the loss. "A little bit better in the second half but you can't be a team that's reactive and expect to be successful or have consistency."

That was the message across the board from the Pacers after Game 2: The 68-win Thunder are too good to keep falling behind by double digits early and expect to come back and win. That has to change, especially at home in the Gainbridge Field House, in front of their fans for the next couple of games.

Pacers All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton raised his hand as the guy who has to lead that change.

"I think I've had two really poor first halves," Haliburton said. "I just have to figure out how to be better earlier in games."

In Game 2, the Thunder dialed back their ball pressure slightly, looking to stay solid positionally, cut off drives, and swarm Haliburton when he did try to get downhill. The result was a too-passive Haliburton, who focused more on getting his teammates going (which didn't happen) than on himself.

"We have to do a better job of getting to the paint," Haliburton said after Game 2. "It's a lot easier said than done. I feel like in the first half we were just moving the ball on the outside and I don't think we had a single point in the paint in the first quarter [they did not]."

When Indiana's offense is clicking, it's very balanced, spread pretty evenly among five or six players — Carlisle called their offense an ecosystem.

"They're more a conceptual team. You have to be kind of a conceptual defense against them," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "If you do that, I think it has a downstream effect on everybody against them."

In the face of that, it falls on Haliburton to be aggressive, look for his own shot more, and spark his team. This is the Haliburton we saw in the fourth quarter of Game 2, when he had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, but by then it was too late.

"We had some success there," Haliburton said of the fourth quarter. "Me playing off the pitch a little bit more, flying around rather than, if I'm in that high ball screen, which I feel like I am really successful at, that gives them a chance to really load up, pack the paint. They got a couple steals in there. I had some really dumb turnovers tonight."

That has to change at home in front of their fans for Game 3 on Wednesday. The Pacers know they can't keep digging holes against this Thunder team and expect to climb out of them.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a masterclass Sunday in Game 2 of the Finals. At the same time, the league-best Thunder defense lived up to its reputation, making life difficult for Tyrese Haliburton.

However, the Thunder won Game 2 because of their bench.

That Oklahoma City bench scored 48 points on the night, and it was the bench that fueled the 19-2 second quarter run, which ultimately decided the game.

"I think we just kind of found a rhythm on both ends of the court," Aarom Wiggins said of the second-quarter run that broke the game open. "We were able to get stops, get out in transition, hit a couple shots. Once we kind of got going, you could kind of just feel the energy playing a factor in that."

Praise for Caruso, Wiggins

The Thunder bench was led by Alex Caruso's 20 points and Wiggins' 18. However, it wasn't all about the points, Kenrich Williams had zero of those but had a fantastic hustle shift in the first half that helped in the big run, and he was +15 on the night in just eight minutes of action.

"They were huge tonight. [Wiggins] was huge tonight," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "I give him a lot of credit because he was a huge part of our success this season, and in the playoffs, his role has been varied night to night. But he hangs in there. He was huge in the Game 4 win at Denver, in that series. He was massive tonight...

"Great professionalism, great readiness and a huge performance for us in that situation."

Wiggins' ability to stay ready through these playoffs, despite his wildly inconsistent minutes, has impressed his teammates.

"It's the hardest job in the league, I feel like. I think he's underrated..." Jalen Williams said of Wiggins. "That goes underrated. It's really hard to stay engaged and stay ready. For him to be able to do that on the biggest stage he's ever played on and have a really good game, very special player."

"It's impressive to me. He's been exactly who he's been all year throughout the Playoffs," Gilgeous-Alexander said of Wiggins. "Like, sometimes it's 20 minutes, sometimes two minutes, sometimes he gets 10. It's all over the place. No matter what, he finds a way to impact winning for us.

"You need it in the biggest moments. No one-man show can win an NBA championship. For him to rise to the occasion and just be who he's been in the biggest moment of his basketball career is pretty gutsy. Says a lot about the competitor and the man he is."

From his perspective, Wiggins has seen it all, which has him ready for these moments.

"I think I've been in every different position, whether that's having the ball in my hands, being a second, third, fourth option, even coming off the bench," Wiggins said. "Regardless of what's asked from me, I think I've just kind of had experiences."
As for Caruso, Chet Holmgren called him "our GOAT."

"He's one of those guys who you know is going to bring it every single night, whether he's [age] 22 or 30, doesn't matter, he's going to bring it," Holmgren said of Caruso, having a little fun with him being one of the older players on the team. "I feel like as a collective we really feed off of that. Then also his ability to kind of process things that are happening out there and relay it and communicate it to everybody else is really important for us."

"He has a lot of experience and he is really smart," Lu Dort said of Caruso. "Sometimes I feel like he is seeing the game a little differently. He's an unbelievable defender, me as well, so every time we talk about defensive stuff I am picking his brain."

While Wiggins has seen fluctuating minutes during the playoffs, Caruso saw Daigneault limit his minutes all season long, with the goal of having him fresh for moments like this.

"It was difficult just because I am such a competitive guy," Caruso said of his limited minutes this season. "If I'm only playing 15 to 20 minutes, if it's one of those nights where it's 15, we're not playing great, like my instinct is to, all right, coach, leave me in there, let me fix it, let me be the one to help us get out of it...

"At the same time, we won 68 games in the regular season. We had a 12-, 13-man rotation through the year depending on who was hurt, different teams we played. That just comes with the nature of having a really good, deep team."

That depth is why Oklahoma City is back in the series, now tied 1-1 and heading back to Indiana for Game 3.

OKLAHOMA CITY — There would be no comebacks, no end-of-game drama in Game 2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made sure of it.

Gilgeous-Alexander put up 34 points (his 13th 30+ game of the playoffs) and had eight assists, but raw numbers undersell how in control of the game he was on Sunday night. With the Thunder setting his picks up higher on the court, he was able to get downhill and find space, but was never out of control — he orchestrated the game. He found passing lanes to open shooters as well as his midrange game again, shooting 9-of-16 from there, plus getting 14 points in the paint. Defensively, he was blowing up Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers' pick-and-roll all night.

The Thunder clapped back in Game 2 and the result was a comfortable 123-107 Oklahoma City win that evens the NBA Finals at 1-1 as the series heads to Indiana for Game 3 on Wednesday.

This was the performance Thunder fans — and most of the NBA world — expected from OKC in Game 1.

Oklahoma City was the aggressor from the opening tip, and much of what didn't work consistently for the Thunder in Game 1 did in Game 2. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren started out shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and finished with a combined 34 points and 11 rebounds. It wasn't just SGA, the Thunder as a team shot 21-of-36 (58.3) from the midrange in Game 2. OKC got 26 of its 59 first-half points in the paint (and finished with 42 from there), and the ball touching the paint led to kick-out 3-pointers and good ball movement. Coach Mark Daigneault went to the two-big lineup of Holmgren and Isiah Hartenstein — something he didn't use in Game 1 — and it was +4 in 4:32 on the court.

Then there was the bench scoring 48 points, led by 20 points from Alex Caruso — more than any Pacer — and 18 from Aaron Wiggins, giving OKC a huge lift.

Thanks in large part to that bench, the Thunder extended their lead to as much as 23 and, thanks to another strong defensive performance, never let the Pacers get back in it.

"I just thought we were the aggressor tonight for much of the game, even when we had a lead," Daigneault said. "I thought the guys did a really good job of keeping the foot on the gas, especially defensively. I thought we really amped it up on that end of the floor."

As good as Gilgeous-Alexander was, it was a rough night for Haliburton and the Pacers.

"Another bad first half. Obviously, it was a big problem, and we just played poorly," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "A little bit better in the second half but you can't be a team that's reactive and expect to be successful or have consistency."

Haliburton spent three quiet quarters trying to get his teammates going in the face of the Thunder's pressure defense, but when that didn't work, he became a scorer in the fourth with an impressive 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The problem was that it was too late (the other problem to monitor is the slight limp he walked with postgame). Back home for Game 3, the Pacers need him to put his scoring stamp on the game earlier, draw the defense, then find shooters.

Myles Turner gave the Pacers a little boost with a dozen second-half points (16 for the game) and he let loose his frustrations with this dunk.

Indiana needs to find a lot of things with its home cooking: Through two NBA Finals games, the Thunder have led for 91:22 and the Pacers 1:53. Indiana got the split on the road, but they are going to have to be much better at home, the Thunder have proven they can win on the road.

Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson picked up another accolade on Sunday, being honored with the 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, handed out by the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA).

Nelson, who retired from coaching in 2010 (after coaching Stephen Curry in his rookie season), is the only coach to have at least 250 wins with three different franchises. Nelson is second all time in wins as a coach (1,335) and games coached (2,398).

"History has already reflected Don Nelson's staggering contributions as a cutting-edge innovator and visionary of the NBA game," said Indiana Pacers Head Coach and NBCA President Rick Carlisle. "Back in the '80s and '90s, he made teams adjust to historic pace, liberal 3-point shooting, inverted offense, and disruptive defensive schemes. All this while establishing himself as one of the most compelling personalities in all of professional sports. I'm certain that Chuck Daly would agree that our beloved 'Nellie' is most deserving of this prestigious recognition."

"I'm extremely grateful and humbled to receive this incredible honor and join the exclusive list of coaches who have preceded me," said Nelson. "Chuck Daly was a dear friend of mine and someone I respected immensely due to his class, character, and of course, his coaching ability. He may not have influenced my wardrobe, but Chuck certainly had a lasting impact on my coaching philosophy, style, and most importantly, how I managed the personalities on a roster...

"To say that I'm deeply touched to receive an award that bears his name would be an understatement. This is special."

Nelson was a five-time NBA champion as a player with the Bill Russell-era Boston Celtics who went on to coach for 31 seasons with the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Mavericks. He was also the coach of the USA Basketball gold medal team at the 1994 World Championships. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012.

OKLAHOMA CITY — In March, the NBA and international basketball governing body FIBA announced a joint "exploration of a new professional men's basketball league in Europe."

That's still moving forward, just don't expect it to happen quickly, Adam Silver told reporters at an NBA Cares event at a refurbished Boys & Girls Club in Oklahoma City on Friday, via Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

"I will say it's measured in years, not months," Silver said. "So, we're at least a couple years away from launching. It would be an enormous undertaking. And while we want to move forward at a deliberate pace, we also want to make sure that we're consulting with all the appropriate stakeholders, meaning the existing league, its teams, European players, media companies, marketing partners. There's a lot of work to be done."

Silver told reporters that the NBA is in talks with the existing EuroLeague (the basketball equivalent of the soccer Champions League, featuring the top clubs on the continent) about a partnership at some level. However, what that might look like (or if it would even work) is up for debate. The NBA's initial target was a 16-team league, something Silver previously said would be "integrated into the current European basketball landscape," which means teams would continue competing in their respective national leagues. There would be permanent members in the NBA Europe league (existing clubs and possibly some new ones) as well as a chance for teams to be promoted into it each year.

Speaking at the NBA Paris games in January, Silver said the goal was to "professionalize the game to another level here, to create a larger commercial opportunity" — to make more money, both for European teams, but also to expand the NBA brand (and with that make the American owners more money). Silver discussed the European league in terms of NBA expansion when speaking with the media before Game 1 of the Finals.

"We have been discussing potentially creating a league in Europe. I view that as a form of expansion as well," Silver said. "Again, just as the same as in American cities, we think there's an opportunity to serve fans in Europe. No knock on European basketball, because most of those international MVPs I just talked about are coming from Europe. There's really high-level basketball being played there. But we think there is an opportunity to better serve fans there. I view that as a form of expansion as well, and that's something we're also thinking hard about."

There are numerous stakeholders, and a lot of mouths to feed; putting together this new league is a massive challenge. The NBA owners will discuss next steps when they meet in July, Silver said. Whatever those next steps are, this is a process that will take years, not months.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Tune into a December NBA Cup game, and you instantly know it's an NBA Cup game by looking at the specially designed court (teams also wear special uniforms for those games). There are clear visual designations this is something special.

Tune into Game 1 of the NBA Finals and the court looked like the one the Oklahoma City Thunder would use for a random Tuesday night game in January. There was no Larry O'Brien trophy logo on the court, no NBA Finals logo on the court, just the usual Paycom logo.

NBA Twitter took notice and it became a discussion point during Game 1. The court looked plain. While it has been that way for a few years, people are now discussing it, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver suggested that the Larry O'Brien Trophy logo, or something similar, will return to the court next season. Quote via Sam Amick at The Athletic.

"To be honest, I hadn't thought all that much about it until I (saw) it (on social media). I'm nostalgic, as well, for certain things. And also, I think for a media-driven culture, whether it's people watching live or seeing those images on social media, it's nice when you're looking back on highlights and they stand out because you see that trophy logo or some other indication that it's a special event. So, we'll look at it."

There hasn't been a large Larry O'Brien logo on the court since 2014, primarily due to player safety concerns — the decal logos placed on top of the court were slippery. With the NBA Cup and plenty of lead time, specially-designed courts are made with all the paint and logos under a thin polyurethane coating, just like every other NBA court. However, for the Finals — where the participants are not locked in until about a week before the games start (often less) — there isn't time for that, so decals were placed on top of the court. Those can get slippery. While the league moved away from the larger center-court logos, it did try smaller ones on parts of the court in 2017 and in the bubble in 2020. However, it has been a while since the court had a logo.

This year, the Internet took notice, and with that so did the league. In a world where player statistics and other graphic information can be added to a broadcast in real-time, there may be technological ways to add a court logo without potentially endangering the players.

However it gets done, expect there to be some kind of Finals logo on the court for the 2026 NBA Finals. Just not this year.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Any doubts about the Thunder entering the playoffs seemed to have been wiped away before the NBA Finals tipped off. Nobody had really questioned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Thunder defense had more than lived up to its fearsome reputation.

Perhaps the only question not entirely answered this postseason was the one that lingered from last year's playoffs, when the Mavericks eliminated the Thunder: Were Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren good enough to be the No. 2 and 3 players on a championship team?

They were not in Game 1. They shot a combined 8-of-28, and they had some defensive lapses.

If the Thunder are going to even this series in Game 2 Sunday night, a few things need to improve for them, but that starts with better games from Williams and Holmgren.

"[Holmgren] and [Williams], specifically, obviously they have carved out huge roles on our team," OKC coach Mark Daigneault said. "Usually, delivering in the Finals is not on the curriculum for third-year players, and they have thrust themselves into that situation, which is a credit to them. And now that they are here, they have to continue to do what they have done all the way through the playoffs...

"They haven't always played their best game, but they always get themselves ready to play the next one. The last guy I'm worried about that is Chet."

Williams played down the idea of being a third-year player mattering.

"I don't ever think that I'm in my third year because then that allows me to make excuses. I should just go out there and play. Pressure is a privilege," Williams said on the eve of Game 2. "So I enjoy being counted on and doing that, and I just think I've been counted on since, I feel like, last year, to be totally honest, just in regard to being there for the rest of the guys. And now we're here in the Finals."

Holmgren’s rough shooting night

Holmgren shot 2-of-8 within four feet of the rim in Game 1, finishing the night with six points on nine shot attempts. It was a night where Daigneault leaned more into Isaiah Hartenstein (9 points on 3-of-5 shooting, plus 9 rebounds).

"I feel like I could have slowed down, kind of finished some of those plays at the rim," Holmgren said. "Obviously, it hurts in a one-point loss. One single difference on one single play could have decided the whole game...

"I'd say [I went] on some of them, too quick. On the ones that involved help side, just slowing down and understanding where they are is a big thing. Some of the one-on-one plays, I wouldn't say so much slowing down as I'd say kind of just being a little bit more under control, I guess."

Williams’ rough shooting night

Williams put up better counting stats with 17 points, but was 6-of-19 shooting. He was respectable around the rim, hitting 5-of-9. However, he was 1-of-10 outside that range, including 1-of-4 on 3-pointers.

We've seen this before this postseason. Against the Nuggets, Williams showed out with 32 points on 21 shots in Game 3 (an OKC loss), but in the next three games Williams shot 2-of-13, 5-of-14 and 3-of-16, a combined 23.3%.

Williams bounced back in the Thunder's Game 7 victory, scoring 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting. What Oklahoma City needs from him in the Finals is consistency. Williams is an All-NBA player who will be offered a five-year maximum contract extension by the Thunder this summer. These games, however, are where that money and his reputation are really earned.

All playoffs long, when the Thunder have been challenged — individually and as a team — they have responded. Expect Williams and Holmgren to bounce back with better games on Sunday night.

If they don't, the hole the Thunder find themselves in could be a lot deeper.

Memphis Grizzlies starting center Zach Edey re-sprained his left ankle during an off-season workout and will need to undergo surgery to stabilize it, the team reported on Saturday.

There is no official timetable for his return, but he is expected to miss the start of the NBA season, his agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told Shams Charania of ESPN.

Edey has battled issues with his ankles, suffering two ankle injuries a year ago in Summer League, then he had another left ankle issue during the season. This injury is an extension of the previous one.

Edey, a two-time Wooden Award winner at Purdue, started 55 games for the Grizzlies last season, averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds a game, leading all rookies in rebounding. Edey was named First Team All-Rookie and was fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.

Memphis can start Jaren Jackson Jr. at center, but they prefer to play him at the four next to a more traditional big. Jay Huff is a floor-spacing center that the Grizzlies want to give more minutes next season. However, with Edey out, don't be surprised if Memphis signs another minimum-salary center to start the season, providing some depth and options at the five.