Oklahoma City Thunder have won their first NBA championship after defeating the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the Finals, capping a dominant 2024–25 season. The Thunder, with an average age under 26, finished one of the most successful campaigns in league history and claimed the title with a relentless second-half push after a tightly contested first half.

The final game was marked by a heartbreaking moment for the Pacers, when star point guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a non-contact injury to his lower right leg.

He was seen slapping the floor in pain and frustration, and his father later confirmed to ESPN that it was an Achilles injury.

Despite the loss of their leader, the Pacers managed to take a 48-47 lead into halftime, inspired by Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam and a gritty defensive performance.

But the Thunder stormed out in the third quarter, turning a tied game at 56-56 into a nine-point lead with three straight long-range shots from their star trio—Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.

That moment shifted the momentum, and Oklahoma City never looked back.

Known for having the league’s best defense during the regular season, the Thunder shut down the Pacers for the first four-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter.

Their lead ballooned to 22 points before Indiana made one last push, cutting the gap to 10 with two-and-a-half minutes left. But without Haliburton’s late-game heroics, Indiana couldn’t complete the comeback.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 29 points and was named Finals MVP. He became the first player since LeBron James in 2013 to win both regular season and Finals MVP.

He also joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal as the only players in NBA history to win the MVP award, the scoring title and the championship in the same season.

The win marked the fulfillment of a vision started by Thunder General Manager Sam Presti six years ago. After a disappointing 2023–24 season, Oklahoma City entered this year determined to make it count.

They did just that, closing the season the same way they played since October—tight defense, explosive offense, and leaning on Gilgeous-Alexander’s consistency to finish what they started.

For now, the Thunder look like the team to beat—and possibly, the team to stay.