NBA Game 2 Shenanigans
Today’s post is coming in a bit late—just under 90 minutes before tipoff. An early tee time delayed me, but hey, sometimes you need to swing a club before you can figure out what to write.
Reminder: Tipoff for tonight’s game is 30 minutes earlier than the usual Finals schedule—8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT on ABC.
📺 Today's TV Games
- 🏀 Indiana Pacers @ Oklahoma City Thunder – ABC
🏆 Pick 5 Margin (8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT)
🏀 Indiana @ Oklahoma City
Most teams don’t win Finals games with 0.3 seconds left on the clock after trailing by 15 points—and even fewer go on to win Game 2 after pulling off the road upset they were hunting for.
But these Indiana Pacers are not most teams. They already went up 2–0 on the road in both the Cavs and Knicks series. In Game 2 of the ECF, Pascal Siakam dropped 39 points. He may not hit that number again tonight—especially if Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are on the floor together—but he’ll certainly need to exceed his Game 1 total of 19.
Tyrese Haliburton appeared jittery in Game 1 but hit the game-winner, and I expect a more composed performance tonight. He had just 6 assists in Game 1, but I’m projecting double digits in Game 2.
Myles Turner, though listed at center, often plays on the perimeter. He grabbed 9 rebounds in Game 1 but averaged just 5.9 over his previous 10 games.
As for the Thunder, they enter Game 2 as even heavier favorites. They’ve gone 17–2 after a loss this season, so the numbers favor a bounce-back. Expect adjustments—Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) will likely take fewer shots to involve his teammates more, while Chet Holmgren should see increased minutes. SGA scored an inefficient 38 in Game 1; look for a lower total tonight with better distribution. Meanwhile, if Holmgren plays over 24 minutes, he should easily top his single block from Game 1.
- Pascal Siakam – Points
- Tyrese Haliburton – Assists
- Myles Turner – Rebounds
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Points
- Chet Holmgren – Blocks
