Oklahoma City Thunder took early control of Game 2 in the NBA Finals to beat Indiana Pacers 123-107, tying the championship matchup at a game apiece.
Last week, Pacers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after a comeback for the ages.
However, on Sunday night, the Pacers' bid to become the fifth team in NBA history - Boston Celtics (1986), Los Angeles Lakers (1987), Chicago Bulls (1996) and Golden State Warriors (2017) - to go 8-0 to open the four playoff rounds - taking Games 1 and 2 in all four series was stopped by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA MVP, scored 34 points, and shooting guard Alex Caruso added 20 off the bench with Jalen Williams (19), Aaron Wiggins (18). and Chet Holmgren (1) also chipping in, leading to the franchise's first finals game win since the opener of the 2012 series against Miami.
Gilgeous-Alexander passed New York's Jalen Brunson (514) as the leading overall scorer in these playoffs.
"We did some things good tonight. We did some things bad," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We've got to be able to get better and be ready for Game 3."
For the Pacers, Myles Turner scored 16 and Pascal Siakam added 15, but they made some unwanted history, becoming the first team since Miami in 2013 to not have a 20-point scorer in the first two games of the finals.
"A bad first half, obviously, was a big problem," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "And we just played poorly. A little better in the second half. But you can't be a team that's reactive and expect to be successful or have consistency."
Game 3 takes place on Wednesday at Indianapolis, and it will be the first finals game in that city in 25 years.
