The Thunder sweep the Pacers to even the NBA Finals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder reacted with authority and power this Sunday to their debacle from last Thursday , defeating the Indiana Pacers 123-107 and tying the NBA Finals 1-1. Three days after Tyrese Haliburton's last-second stab in the heart, the Thunder this time knew how to close out a game they were already winning by 23 points in the second quarter and counted on a solid version of their star trio: Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.

The championship series now moves to Indianapolis, where the Pacers will try to defend their home court advantage in Games 3 and 4, on June 11 and 13, respectively.

The star trio (Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams) showed a solid version

Under pressure to avoid conceding a 0-2 deficit, which would have been a real burden, the Thunder regained their best form: that of the fabulous team that swept the regular season with an impressive 68-14. Shai was the perfect conductor with 34 points (11 of 21 shooting), 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. In addition, unlike in the first game, this season's MVP had the support of two decisive players: Holmgren (15 points and 6 rebounds) and Williams (19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists).

Coming off the bench with a vengeance, Alex Caruso (20 points on 4-of-8 three-pointers) and Aaron Wiggins (18 points on 5-of-8 from the perimeter) were also instrumental. Oklahoma won the rebounding battle (43 to 35), and their entire defense performed at an excellent level.

On the other hand, Haliburton, capable of both the best and the worst, was nowhere to be seen during the first three quarters (5 points) and only made his presence felt in the fourth quarter when a comeback seemed a pipe dream. The point guard was inconsistent, finishing with 17 points (7 of 13), 3 rebounds and 6 assists with 5 turnovers. Pascal Siakam was also subpar with 15 points and 7 rebounds but 3 of 11 shooting. Myles Turner (16 points) and Aaron Nesmith (14 points with 4 of 8 on three-pointers) did their part for Indiana, which had seven players in double-figure scoring but none above 20 points.

Holmgren wakes up and Shai finishes off

One of those singled out for Oklahoma's Game 1 disaster was Holmgren, who only contributed six points on a pitiful 2-of-9 shooting. With much to improve, the center stepped up his game Sunday from the opening tip, adding nine points (4 of 5) in the first quarter alone and also showing off his intimidating defense.

For its part, Indiana relied entirely on three-pointers, as 14 of its 21 shots in the first quarter were from the perimeter, but the Pacers failed to refine their aim (5 of 14) and Mark Daigneault's team took the fourth (26-20).

Oklahoma's defense, a steamroller that has crushed attacks throughout the NBA all season, began to set the pace: the first +10 came with 10.24 at halftime (33-23) and the first +15 (which was the largest advantage on Thursday) reached with 7.06 at the interval (42-27).

Indiana's offensive collapse coincided with Haliburton's minutes on the bench, and the Pacers, who had limited their turnovers in the first quarter to just three, were mired in six in the second.

The Paycom Center, usually a very noisy pressure cooker, exploded with a Wiggins three-pointer and a Shai basket that extended the margin to over 20 points after a monumental 19-2 run (52-29 with 4:48 left on the clock).

Rick Carlisle had to call three timeouts in that period and the Pacers, true to their status as a completely irreducible team, stopped the bleeding with a 0-10 partial. But the Thunder finally closed that great quarter 33-21 and, with 51.1% in field goals, went to the locker room with a promising 59-41 lead thanks to Shai (15 points), Holmgren (11) and Williams (9).

Siakam and Andrew Nembhard (9 points each) were the only redeeming features in a Pacers' sluggish attack, stuck with 34.9% shooting (31.8% on three-pointers, 7 of 22) and with an absent Haliburton (3 points on 1 of 5).

The question that has dominated this playoff season once again loomed large enough to be a reliable lead against these unpredictable, tireless, and heroic Pacers? Indiana certainly didn't let up. In the third quarter, they got within 13 points with Turner leading the charge (10), but then they ran into an exquisite Shai.

The Canadian point guard masterfully controlled the pace, scoring 12 points to quell any Pacers rebellion and leading the Thunder to the finale with everything in their favor (93-74). This time, the miraculous epic didn't come for Indiana, and Oklahoma, without further shocks, tied the Finals at 1-1.