Gilgeous-Alexander's Dominance Propels OKC to NBA Championship Victory

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander capped off his MVP-caliber season with a strong performance, scoring 29 points and dishing out 12 assists. The Oklahoma City Thunder secured the NBA championship, pulling away in the second half to defeat the Indiana Pacers with a final score of 103-91 on Sunday night.

Jalen Williams contributed 20 points, and Chet Holmgren added 18 for the Thunder. They had been pushed to a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, but ultimately finished an exceptional season. Oklahoma City achieved a remarkable 84 wins across the regular season and playoffs, tying the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for the third-highest total in any season.

The Thunder's victory marks the second championship in franchise history. The Seattle SuperSonics, the team that would later relocate to Oklahoma City in 2008, won the NBA title in 1979. The team's history in Oklahoma City, however, did not include a championship banner until now.

The Pacers held a narrow lead of 48-47 at halftime, despite losing star guard Tyrese Haliburton early in the game to a reported Achilles tendon injury. However, the Thunder dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Pacers 34-20 and establishing a significant 13-point lead, which they maintained to victory.

Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points and 13 rebounds. The Pacers, who had a challenging start to the season, were aiming to become the first team in NBA history to overcome such a poor beginning and still win a championship. They had taken leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the series, but ultimately fell short.

The Thunder's victory continues a trend of home teams dominating Game 7s in the NBA Finals. They also became the seventh different champion in the last seven seasons, highlighting an unprecedented level of parity in the league.

The Thunder's victory is the ninth franchise to win a title during NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's 12 seasons leading the league. His predecessor, David Stern, saw eight different franchises win titles during his 30 seasons as commissioner.