OKC Thunder's Regular-Season Pays Dividends for Game 7

The 2025 NBA Finals has demonstrated how the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers possess two of the strongest home environments in the league.

The Thunder, which went 8-1 with a +24.7 net rating in home playoff games entering the Finals, largely outplayed the Pacers in Games 1, 2 and 5. It lost the series opener on a last-second Tyrese Haliburton jumper, as the Pacers scored on six of their last seven possessions, but won the other two by double-digits. Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins brought crucial bench shooting in Game 2, and Jalen Williams exploded for a career-high 40 points on 14-for-25 shooting three games later to bring the Thunder one win away from glory.

Indiana went 6-2 with a +5.7 net rating in the first three rounds — and both losses occurred with two-game series leads. It gained the upper hand over Oklahoma City in Games 3, 4 and 6, only losing the middle contest despite a seven-point fourth-quarter lead. The Thunder required Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to rack up 15 points in the final five minutes and Caruso to provide 20 points on nine shots, five steals and two offensive rebounds.

Long story short: Both teams dropped home games they should not have. The only fundamental difference entering the winner-take-all bottleneck between a deep, physical, relentless defense and a deep, unselfish, unpredictable offense is the Thunder winning 18 more regular-season games. After all, Paycom Center is a much more preferable season finale venue than Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Oklahoma City's dominant season paid off against the Denver Nuggets in the second round, which followed the same game order as the Finals so far. The Thunder trailed by 11 points halfway through the first quarter in Game 7 but stormed back by generating 16 live-ball turnovers. It held a 14-point halftime advantage and led by as many as 38, advancing to the conference finals with a 125-93 win.

Both Thunder All-Stars came to play in the team's only prior elimination game. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 12-for-19 shooting, four assists, three rebounds, three steals and a block. Williams registered 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting, seven assists, five rebounds and a steal.

Oklahoma City must now repeat that task against a team with more dependable shooting, ball security and defense — which also makes extraordinary outcomes normal.

Game 7 between the Thunder and Pacers tips off tomorrow at 7 p.m. CST.