If you’re looking for the score of NBA Finals Game 7, you’re probably either settling a bet or trying to relive the absolute chaos of June 22, 2025. It was loud. It was stressful. And frankly, for three quarters, it looked like the Indiana Pacers might actually pull off the impossible. But when the dust settled at the Paycom Center, the Oklahoma City Thunder walked away with a 103-91 victory, securing their first title since moving to OKC.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was just different that night. He dropped 29 points and handed out 12 assists like he was playing a casual game of pickup, not a winner-take-all for the Larry O'Brien trophy.
But here’s the thing about Game 7 scores. They usually look a lot more decisive on paper than they felt in the moment. That 12-point gap? It was a two-possession game with under four minutes left. Then Jalen Williams hit a corner three that basically popped the balloon for Indiana.
Why the 2016 Game 7 Score Still Haunts Golden State
You can't talk about a Game 7 score without the one that changed everything: 93-89.
That’s the 2016 number. It’s etched into the brain of every Cleveland resident. Honestly, if you say "93 to 89" in a bar in Oakland, someone might still throw a drink at you. It was the first time a team had ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
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The box score says LeBron James had a triple-double (27 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists). It doesn't tell you about the "The Block." It doesn't show you the four minutes of scoreless, agonizing basketball where both teams looked like they were running through waist-deep mud. That game was tied at 89 for what felt like a decade until Kyrie Irving hit that step-back over Steph Curry.
People forget how low-scoring that game was. In an era where teams regularly drop 130 in January, a 93-89 finish feels like a prehistoric relic. But that’s what a Game 7 does to you. The rims get smaller. Your legs get heavier.
Every Score of NBA Finals Game 7 Since the Shot Clock Era
We’ve only seen 20 of these games in the history of the league. That’s it. In nearly 80 years of professional basketball, the season has only come down to a single night 20 times.
If you look at the recent ones, you notice a pattern: they are almost always grind-it-out defensive battles. Look at 2010. The Lakers beat the Celtics 83-79. Kobe Bryant shot 6-for-24. In any other game, he would have been roasted for that. In a Game 7? He grabbed 15 rebounds and willed himself to the line. The score didn't need to be pretty; it just needed to be a win.
Here is how the scores have shaken out in the modern era:
- 2025: Thunder 103, Pacers 91
- 2016: Cavaliers 93, Warriors 89
- 2013: Heat 95, Spurs 88
- 2010: Lakers 83, Celtics 79
- 2005: Spurs 81, Pistons 74
- 1994: Rockets 90, Knicks 84
- 1988: Lakers 108, Pistons 105
The 2025 Thunder-Pacers game was actually high-scoring by historical standards. Usually, the pressure is so high that shooting percentages plummet. In 2005, the Spurs and Pistons combined for 155 points. Total. That’s a Tuesday night for the 2024 Kings.
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The Double Overtime Freak Show of 1957
If you want to talk about the wildest score of NBA Finals Game 7, you have to go back to 1957. The Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 125-123 in double overtime.
Think about that. No three-point line. Short shorts. Sneakers that were basically Converse All-Stars with zero arch support. And they still put up 125 points in a double-OT Game 7. Bill Russell, a rookie at the time, had 19 points and 32 rebounds. That isn't a typo. He actually grabbed 32 boards.
Tom Heinsohn dropped 37. It remains the only Game 7 in Finals history to go to a second overtime. It basically set the stage for the Celtics' decade of dominance. If the Hawks hit one more layup, maybe the 60s look completely different.
What Most People Get Wrong About Home Court Advantage
There’s this huge myth that the home team always wins Game 7.
Actually, it’s mostly true—but the exceptions are legendary. Before the 2025 Finals, the road team had only won four times in history.
- 2016: Cavs at Warriors
- 1978: Bullets at SuperSonics
- 1969: Celtics at Lakers
- 1955: Nationals at Pistons
The 1969 game is the one people still talk about because the Lakers’ owner, Jack Kent Cooke, literally put thousands of balloons in the rafters of the Forum to be released when the Lakers won. Bill Russell saw them and told Jerry West, "Those balloons are staying up there."
The Celtics won 108-106. The balloons never dropped. Jerry West became the only person to win Finals MVP while playing for the losing team. He had 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists in that Game 7. It’s arguably the greatest individual performance in a losing effort in sports history.
Analyzing the 2025 OKC Victory
So, how did the Thunder get to 103?
They shot 48% from the field, which is actually elite for a Game 7. The Pacers, led by Bennedict Mathurin’s 24 points, just couldn't keep up with the depth. OKC's bench outscored Indiana's bench 22-11.
Usually, in these games, rotations tighten up. Coaches play their starters 44+ minutes. But Mark Daigneault kept his bench involved, and it paid off when the Pacers looked gassed in the fourth quarter. The final score of 103-91 reflects a team that had more gas left in the tank.
The Lessons for Future Bettors and Fans
If you're looking at these scores to find an edge for future seasons, keep a few things in mind. First, the "Under" is usually your friend in a Game 7. The 2025 game was an outlier. Generally, defense wins these, and the officiating tends to get a bit more "lenient," meaning players have to play through a lot more contact.
Second, look at the rebounding margin. In almost every one of these historical scores, the winner dominated the glass. In 2010, the Lakers outrebounded the Celtics by 13. In 2016, the Cavs were +4.
Third, the star player almost always has a "bad" shooting night but finds another way to contribute. LeBron in 2016, Kobe in 2010, and Duncan in 2005 all struggled with their jumpers but dominated the boards or the defensive end.
To truly understand an NBA Finals Game 7, you have to look past the final digits on the scoreboard. Those numbers are just the result of 48 minutes of pure, unadulterated stress.
Next Steps for Stats Junkies:
- Check the Quarter-by-Quarter breakdown of the 2025 Finals to see how OKC pulled away in the 4th.
- Compare the Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) of 2016 vs. 2025 to see how the three-point revolution has changed Game 7 outcomes.
- Review the historical officiating reports (if you really want to get angry) to see how "No-Calls" influenced the final scores in 2010 and 2013.
The scoreboard tells you who won, but the play-by-play tells you why. Whether it's the 103-91 of today or the 93-89 of yesterday, these scores represent the highest peak of basketball pressure.