The Indiana Pacers pulled off a 117-114 victory over the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, overcoming a 47-point explosion from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a thrilling NBA Finals rematch.

Back in Oklahoma City for the first time since last season’s Game 7 defeat in the championship series, the Pacers jumped out to a 39-28 first-quarter lead and withstood every Thunder rally. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points in the fourth quarter as Oklahoma City twice cut Indiana’s lead to one. With 7.8 seconds left, the reigning MVP made two free-throws to pull the Thunder within 115-114, but Jarace Walker responded from the line to seal the win.

Walker said the victory “most definitely” carried extra meaning for the Pacers, who have struggled to an 11-35 record this season with Tyrese Haliburton sidelined after a torn Achilles in last year’s Game 7.

“Going out how we did last year, it was definitely circled on the calendar and it was a great team win,” Walker said.

Andrew Nembhard led Indiana with 27 points and 11 assists, while Walker added 26 points and Pascal Siakam contributed 21. Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault attributed the loss to a slow start.

“I thought we played pretty well despite not shooting great,” Daigneault said. “We played well enough to win for 36 minutes, but we needed 48. Credit them—they played all 48 and held us off when we tried to get back in it multiple times.”

Durant Leads Rockets Past Pistons

In Detroit, Kevin Durant scored 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting to help the Houston Rockets end the East-leading Pistons’ four-game winning streak. Tied at halftime, Houston outscored Detroit 34-20 in the third quarter and never trailed in the fourth.

Alperen Sengun added 19 points for the Rockets, while Amen Thompson contributed 15 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, outpacing his twin brother Ausar Thompson, who had 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists for Detroit. Jalen Duren led the Pistons with 18 points, and Cade Cunningham added 12 points and eight assists in his return from injury.

Celtics Win in Double Overtime

The Boston Celtics edged the Brooklyn Nets 130-126 in double overtime, powered by Jaylen Brown’s triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. Payton Pritchard led Boston’s scoring with 32 points, while Michael Porter Jr. paced Brooklyn with 30.

Nic Claxton’s tip-in tied the game at 104-104 with 1.9 seconds left in regulation. After five lead changes in the first overtime, Boston rookie Hugo Gonzalez hit a three-pointer to force a second extra session, where the Celtics held firm to secure the win.

Suns Fall to Hawks as Booker Exits

The Phoenix Suns lost 110-103 to the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta, with the defeat compounded by the loss of star guard Devin Booker, who rolled his ankle late in the third quarter after scoring 31 points.

Onyeka Okongwu led the Hawks with 25 points, and Jalen Johnson added 23 points and 18 rebounds.