Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back in the second game of the 2025 NBA Finals, beating the Indiana Pacers 123-107.
Instead of just making the first impact, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander focused on continuing to hit the Bulls all night.
Although Gilgeous-Alexander scored a remarkable 34 points and had 8 assists, his biggest blow could have been a strategic move aimed at the Pacers’ defense.
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Both coaches and players make adjustments as they try to get an advantage in the NBA Finals. The Thunder saw after Game 1 that they had to improve their approach against the Pacers, as SGA had managed to score 38 points despite the team’s efforts.
Every night, it’s my job to get past the defense, Gilgeous-Alexander said after the win in Game 2. You try to do what is best in the situation. You try to respond to their actions with measures in your coverage and strategy.
For Game 1, Indiana used extra players to defend in the pick-and-roll when facing the No. 1 and 2 players of the Thunder. The defender who was nearest the screen position defended the player with the ball as he drove and the original defender switched to the previously unguarded teammate.
While it was not a complete stop to SGA and Shai’s partnership, it did make the Thunder slow down. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30 shots were needed for his points, and the team sent less passes than any other team in any game this season.
The Synergy Sports data showed that Oklahoma City scored only 0.93 points in every pick-and-roll chance in Game 1, which helped Indiana remain close and eventually win the game in the fourth quarter.
Mark Daigneault, Thunder’s head coach, noted that there is a lot to learn in such a short time. Following Game 2, he said that he believed Indiana was something you had to adjust to.
Since they are not in our division, we haven’t met them many times. They have a clearly different style when they are playing offense or defense.
There were many places in Game 2 where we seemed to be better and more comfortable.
Most of this comfort came from the team’s ability to find open space on offense. In basketball, it is very important to have space.
It controls the action on the field, makes open spaces for teammates to pass, and gives players a chance to score. By making small changes to their ball screens, Oklahoma City created much more of it in Game 2.
Instead of screening close to the basket, the Thunder’s players often set their picks on or by their half-court logo – that’s at least 30 feet from the rim.
Jared Dubin on Last Night in Basketball pointed out that the team used 33 high ball screens, a rise from usual.
This simple change led to important changes. As a result, it gave Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and their fellow players a greater opportunity to gain speed in their drive toward the hoop.
When reporters asked about the team’s new strategy, Holmgren claimed it was not planned, possibly because the team had adopted it without much thinking.
Holmgren pointed out that this wasn’t a key tactical move after he had 15 points and 6 rebounds in Game 2. That’s just the location where the screens were placed.
Nevertheless, the location of the screens was farther from the basket than in any other Thunder game all year. In addition, the way Daigneault used Indiana’s defensive players made the Pacers play more slowly in the half-court.
As a result, Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams could drive to the hoop more, shoot jumpers from different angles, and tell when it was time to pass.
There were huge and impressive outcomes. Game 2 saw the Thunder put up 63 points on 46 possessions where the ball-handler in pick-and-roll played a big role, which equals 1.37 points per possession.
More than half of Gilgeous-Alexander’s assists came on throws to his teammates involved in the high ball screens.
He made good use of the space, chose basic plays, and counted on his teammates to sink the chances they earlier missed.
It’s obvious that everyone understands that Gilgeous-Alexander can go out and score 30 or even 40 points, Aaron Wiggins shared. Our team plays its best when Kobe assists his teammates and helps others score.
Whenever Oklahoma City’s offense is on point, defending them from their excellent shooters becomes extremely tough for the competition.
Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers showed how the situation was painful for his team.
He added that if you make the other team miss, you get the rebound, go on the fast break, and play your best game. However, if we need to remove the ball every time we score, it slows down our offense for sure.
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In fact, because Oklahoma City scored an impressive 119.8 points in the half-court, the Pacers struggled to score in transition.
Their opportunities to get points in transition during Game 2 were quite low, according to Cleaning the Glass, at just 8.7% – the team’s fourth-lowest rate over the course of the season.
This was only the seventh time in 100 regular and postseason games that they
up with less than 10 fast-break points.
The slow fast-break attack and Thunder’s fast offense worked together to defeat Indiana and give Oklahoma City an advantage in the match.
The Thunder’s tactical play helped them win Game 2 and draw level with the Mavericks, but both teams are aware that this series is still going on.
Daigneault noted that the team kept adjusting to the other squads throughout the game. You should keep upgrading your skills in a series.
They are going to feel at ease and be very comfortable at home. Their performances in these playoffs have been very impressive at Citi Field. If we do not improve further, we could fall behind them.
Game 3 is all set to be exciting, as we can see the smart moves from Game 2 suggesting the great depth of strategy in this NBA Finals.